Reality
by WriterFreak001
Summary: Catherine learns some heavy duty information from her father, Agent Reynolds when she visits him in the cell regarding Vincent's recent arrest. One thing leads to another, eventually causing Catherine to wake up in a hospital while shouting Vincent Keller's name. (read more of the description inside) Rated: T
1. Chapter 1

**Keiko Fujiwara: I hate to say this, but until my carpal tunnel (yes, I have it again) lets up, I won't be posting much any time soon as I'll need my wrist strength for typing papers for my classes. **

**Anyway, in case you have not heard the news, the rest of BATB will air in the states starting June 2****nd**** and ending on July 7****th****. No news of a third season, yet, from the CW, but other sources seem to be convinced that BATB has been renewed. (See my Tumblr Profile for the source; it will be labeled: "**_**AXN eyeing July premiere for Steven Spielberg's Extant | Indian Television Dot Com**_**" My Tumblr name: WriterFreak001).**

**Anyway, here is a preview of a story I have in store for you! I plan on working on this baby during the summer since I'll have ample amounts of time to do so. Don't worry, I'll be working on my other stories during the summer as well! ^_^**

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**Title** | Reality

**Fandom** | _Beauty and the Beast (CW)_

**Description** | Catherine learns some heavy duty information from her father, Agent Reynolds when she visits him in the cell regarding Vincent's recent arrest. One thing leads to another, eventually causing Catherine to wake up in a hospital while shouting Vincent Keller's name. Gradually, she is convinced that everything she has learned about beasts was all made-believe to help her cope with her mother's death. Will Catherine buy into the story the doctors are telling her? Or, will she see past their deception and find a way back to reality? If you want to find out, continue reading!

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated T for language, suggested themes and anything else T-rated I might throw in it. If anything, read at your own discretion.

**POV** | Third Person Omniscient

**Disclaimer** | While CW owns _**Beauty & the Beast**_, I am the owner of this Masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something should be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**Reality**

**Written by: Keiko Fujiwara**

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

Catherine's heart leapt for joy when she saw Vincent standing on the roof of her apartment complex and waiting for her. Ever since he had left the masquerade, she desperately wanted to see him—to tell him her feelings, and sure enough, Vincent Keller had listened to her heart, knowing exactly what she had wanted.

Slowly, she walked towards him as if she were walking down an aisle of a church on her wedding day. Feeling the cool air kissing her exposed skin, she pulled her green shawl tightly against her body, and continued walking towards him. He slightly turned around, his eyes meeting and mating with hers as she confronted him. As he ripped his gaze away from hers, and pulled out a beautiful rose from his coat, she couldn't help but smile and laugh. The whole thing seemed like a cheesy gesture, but she didn't care. Even when she knew he knew she had chosen him, he still was doing everything he could to make sure she wouldn't run back into Gabe's arms.

"I love you Catherine," he whispered softly as if his tongue was tasting every single syllable leaving his lips. Deep in her heart, she had known it all along. When JT told her Vincent was going beast-straight in order to win her heart back, she never stopped him or even tried to put him in his place. She knew what she had wanted, but her mind had gotten in the way, prolonging her relationship with the ADA.

"I love you too," Catherine replied before Vincent leaned in and pressed his lips against hers. Their lips parted briefly, savoring the long-awaited kiss enflamed by love instead of sexual desire. For the first time in a very long time, Catherine finally felt like she was kissing the man she knew before he was captured by her father. She took the rose from Vincent's hands and wrapped her arms around him as she pulls him in for another kiss—one that will forever seal their love together.

For several long minutes, Catherine had forgotten about the worries on her mind, and only focused on the man kissing her lips. There was no doubt in her heart whom she loves—the answer was always there; she just needed the self-discovery in order to find it. As they migrated from roof to bedroom, Catherine regretted nothing. From then on, Vincent Keller was hers, and she would do whatever was possible in order to fight for him. Never again would she ever give up on her feelings for him; she had learned her lesson, and she planned on spending the rest of her life with Former Captain Vincent Ryan Keller.

Forever and always—that was what they promised one another as they re-consummated their love. Even if marriage would never be a possibility…even if children might never be part of their future…even if Catherine would never get to have the 'normal' life she seemed to have always wanted…Vincent vowed to make every moment of their relationship worth a thousand futures together. Catherine promised the same. And nothing will ever compromise their love—nothing ever again.

It had been a few hours since they fell asleep in one another's arms, and everything was perfect. When Catherine woke up around 4 AM, she noticed Vincent staring at the ceiling, deep in thought.

"What's on your mind?" she asked, snaking her arms around him before kissing the corner of his mouth.

"Nothing…" his voice faded.

"If it's keeping you up, Vincent, it clearly isn't 'nothing,'" Catherine stated. She caressed his cheek with her palm and pulled his face towards her, "Vincent, what's wrong?"

"Nothing." He replied again.

"Vincent…."

"No," he shook his head, "That's not what I meant." He turned towards her and trapped her against his body and her bed, "What I meant to say is that there's nothing wrong, Catherine. Everything is right…. Everything is perfect."

Catherine smiled, "Is that so?"

Vincent nodded. "But, there is something else that would make everything even more perfect."

"And what's that?"

"Marriage," Vincent answered suddenly, and licked his lips as he waited for her to register what he had said. Catherine blinked once, and then twice as Vincent patiently (also nervously) waited for her answer.

"I thought marriage would be too risky…." Catherine replied, remembering their conversation they had when she had that pregnancy scare several months back.

"I'm not 'dead' anymore so it's a possibility, Catherine." Vincent answered as he leaned his forehead against hers. "Look, I'm not asking for an answer right away…just…just hear me out first, yeah?" Catherine nodded, urging him to continue. "I admit, there was a time in our relationship where I thought marriage…and children…weren't possible for me…. But, you already knew that. Back then, you said you didn't need a big rock on your finger in order to be happy, and I believe you, Catherine. I do." He paused, trying to recollect his thoughts, "I guess…I guess I never told you the real reason I had briefly started to rethink our relationship that morning when we thought you were pregnant…. Before 9/11, I had always planned on marrying and having a family with the love of my life—and no, I'm not referring to Alex."

"I didn't say you were," Catherine reached up and combed her fingers through his short, brunette hair.

"I know…. I'm just clarifying."

"Ah. Continue."

"Anyway, when you told me you thought you might have been pregnant, all of those things I had wanted to do—marriage…becoming a father—came back, and I was scared…and upset. You have no idea how much I wanted to just pick you up in my arms that day and leave for Denver to start a new life. I was sort of let down when we found out you weren't pregnant, but relieved because I wouldn't have wanted to force you to abort any child of ours. Back then, you and I couldn't have gotten married because Vincent Keller did not exist. However, a lot has changed since then, and we both know I'm no longer considered dead to the world anymore." Vincent cupped Catherine's face, and kissed her nose. "I love you, Catherine, and we don't know how much longer Vincent Keller will be alive…." Noticing the horror on his girlfriend's face, he quickly added, "I'm talking in a certificate-sense, love." Seeing Catherine's eyes soften at his response, he continued, "I can't promise you a perfect, white-picketed fence kind of future…, but…if there's one thing I would want you to have so you can prove to the world your heart and mine are forever linked, it would be my last name."

Before Catherine could say anything, Vincent hopped out of the bed and knelt down to his knee. "I don't have a ring yet or anything, but," he took Catherine's hands into his own, "Will you marry me, Catherine?"

"Vincent…" Catherine's voice faded as she tried to figure out how to say the right thing without sounding hurtful. She rolled onto her stomach and faced the side of the bed so she could give Vincent a direct answer. "I love you…and someday I want to marry you…"

"But…?"

"But you and I have just renewed our relationship….maybe we should take things slow and not rush into anything." She said as she caressed his face with her fingernails. "A lot has happened between us, and I think…I think we owe it to ourselves to see where this 'new' us takes us before deciding on marriage. Don't you?"

Vincent thought for a moment, realizing how ridiculous he was to propose on the spot like that. "You're right. What was I thinking?" He laughed it off as he rejoined her in the bed, but Catherine could tell he was upset.

"You were thinking of us," Catherine replied, "and there's nothing wrong with that. Like I said, someday…"

"Just not now, yeah?"

"Just not now." She repeated. He looked away from her, feeling guilty for thinking foolishly. She cupped his face and pulled his gaze back to hers before briefly kissing his lips. "You know I love you, right?"

He nodded, "I do."

"Then you have nothing to worry about, Vincent. I said I would marry you; just not yet."

"I know," Vincent gives her another kiss, "I guess I was hoping you'd say 'sooner' rather than 'later.'"

"I know you did," Catherine muttered. She combed her fingers through his hair, and closed her eyes when he kissed the nape of her neck. Because of 'where' his hands were roaming as he feathered kisses along her collarbone, Catherine knew her temporary rejection wouldn't change the relationship they had. At least—she hope it wouldn't in the long run.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

Several hours have passed since they had discussed their future, and Catherine woke up to find a peaceful Vincent sleeping on her bed. For weeks, dare she ever tell Gabe, she had been yearning to wake up with the man before her, but her pride—her mind—would deny it. What was she ever thinking when she decided to start a relationship with the ADA? They virtually had no chemistry—sexual compatibility, maybe—but there were never fireworks between them, their likes and dislikes were very different from one another and Gabe obviously did not see eye-to-eye with her in terms of Vincent's humanity.

As the morning sun filled up her bedroom, she reached over to Vincent and started to gently graze the back of her fingers along the top of his spine. She heard him inhale a small breath, knowing he had woken up from her touch.

"You didn't leave this time."

"I live here," Catherine smiled.

Vincent turned himself over and looked at her lovingly. "So you do." For a moment, they only gazed into one another's eyes as Catherine's hand rubbed his shoulder. "I don't ever want to hurt you again."

"I know." She mumbled before they both leaned in for a kiss. Catherine cupped Vincent's neck as they kissed, and Vincent reciprocated by doing the same. As things were starting to heat up, they heard someone knocking on Catherine's apartment door. Catherine gave Vincent a strange look as he turned around to look out of Catherine's bedroom. Who would be knocking on Catherine's door this early in the morning? Catherine opted on ignoring her unwanted visitor, but when they knocked again—this time, more rapidly, she sighed, "Guess I should get that."

Both of them slipped out of the bed, and got dressed. Catherine threw on her red, flannel pajama bottoms and a grey sweater. Vincent, however, slid into his suit he was wearing the night before. Catherine walked out of her bedroom, and as she headed for the door, she turned around and laughed, "Let me guess, more flowers?"

Vincent peeked out of Catherine's bedroom, clueless as to who would be knocking on the door. Catherine opened up the door, and someone said, "Detective McCauley, 95th. We're looking for a Vincent Keller."

"What?" Catherine asked as Vincent started walking out into the hallway.

"Excuse us, detective." McCauley said. Almost immediately, the detective and a swarm of policemen filed into Catherine's apartment.

"What're you doing?!"

"Vincent Keller?"

"Yeah," Vincent voiced.

"You're under arrest."

"Arrest?" Catherine felt sick to her stomach.

"For what?" Vincent finished his girlfriend's thought.

"For the murder of Curt Windsor," McCauley replied.

"Okay, I think there's been a mistake," Catherine stated as men started to surround Vincent.

"No mistake, ma'am. Here's the warrant." He said while Vincent was being cuffed. He turned around to face Vincent, and continued. "You have the right to remain silent; anything you say can and will be used against you…"

As they escorted Vincent out of Catherine's apartment, he looked back at Catherine. "Why is this happening?"

"I don't know," she shook her head as she started to follow them. "Vincent!" She needed him to look at her—she needed to see his face.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine." Vincent nodded to her as he was taken out of her apartment. Catherine stood there, motionless.

What the hell just happened?! Seconds…then minutes passed before she regained the will to move. "Wait!" she called out before running out of her apartment and racing towards the squad car. As they shoved Vincent inside the cruiser, she pulled McCauley to the said, and said, "You can't do this!"

"I can, and I am!" the detective replied. "I'm sorry, Detective, but your boyfriend is a murderer—perhaps, you should reconsider your choices when you choose your boyfriends."

"There's gotta be some mistake!" Catherine defended her boyfriend. "Vincent would never kill anyone!" She knew it was the truth—now, but she had to say something in order to appeal to the detective's good graces. "Who authorized this arrest?!"

"I am not at liberty to say, Detective Chandler. This is not your case, and you are associated with Mr. Keller; therefore, I cannot disclose any sensitive information which might jeopardize the arrest. Now, please back away from the car unless you want to be taken in for disrupting justice."

Catherine didn't move.

"Detective Chandler, I'll say it again: back away from the vehicle." McCauley frowned.

Catherine looked at Vincent; for the first time in her life, she did not know what to do. If she tried to help Vincent, she would be considered an outlaw too for helping him; however, if she backed away, she would feel like she was betraying him.

"Do as he says," Vincent softly said to her. "I'll be fine."

Obeying Vincent's order, Catherine stepped backwards. McCauley slid into the vehicle, and in seconds, the cruiser was on its way to Rikers Island. "They won't get away with this," she whispered to herself before she took off running towards Gabe's apartment to demand for some answers.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

"OPEN UP!" Catherine shouted as she knocked on Gabe's apartment door. "GET YOUR ASS OUT HERE RIGHT NOW, GABRIEL LOWAN, OR SO HELP ME GOD, I WI—" Before she could finish her thought, the door sprung open.

"It's 8 AM in the morning, Cat; what're you doing here pounding on my door?"

"Don't play so innocent, Gabe; I know it was you." she frowned, crossing her arms across her chest. "If this is some sick revenge game you're trying to pull, I suggest you stop it right now or I will find every possible way to make your life a living hell."

"I honestly have no idea what you're talking about, Catherine. What happened?"

"Don't pretend like you don't know, Gabe! Vincent was arrested for the murder of Curt Windsor. There were only a handful of people who knew what Vincent did to him; you're the only one who has means, motive and opportunity to authorize my _boyfriend_'s arrest."

"As much as the thought of arresting Vincent seems appealing to me at the moment, Catherine, I assure you, I have _nothing_ to do with this. Perhaps you should interrogate your father—he _was_ the one who cleaned up after Vincent's mess, remember? Perhaps he made a deal with someone, and directed them to Curt's remains."

"Seems like you've had a lot of time to think about that excuse, Gabe." Catherine spat. "I swear, if you _are_ the one responsible, you're going to wish you never fell in love with me in the first place."

"We'll see." Gabe smirked. "You can try to make my life a living hell, but I doubt you will ever be successful. Mind me, Catherine, I do care for you and I would never jeopardize any type of relationship we can still salvage by sending your boyfriend behind bars. Tell me, what would I accomplish by authorizing his arrest?"

"I think we both know the answer to that, Gabe." Catherine stated, "You better hope to God I don't find out you had anything to do with Vincent's arrest. If I were you, Gabe, I would sleep with one eye open."

Without another word, Catherine stormed out of Gabe's apartment. She couldn't deal with his bigheadedness at the moment; she need to speak with someone who could help her see the light in this horrible predicament. As she pulled out her phone, she couldn't help but think about Vincent. She worried for him. It's one thing to have control over his beast side during an everyday encounter, but being arrested? That could cause a lot of stress for him—especially since there's a new big bad in the world. If anything, he needed to get out of jail as soon as possible, and she was willing to break him out if need be.

"Hey," she mumbled into her phone as she started walking back towards her apartment complex, "Do you mind meeting with me at the café in twenty minutes? … My world is falling apart, and I need to talk to someone about it. … No. Vincent's not with me. … Why? It's better I tell it to you in person. … Thanks. … Oh, and pass the message to JT too; I think he's going to want to know what I have to say as well….. Really? Thanks again, Tess….Bye." Catherine shoved her phone back into her coat pocket, and raced to her apartment complex. She figured she would be a horrible friend if she didn't let Tess and JT in on Vincent's arrest. 'I'll get you out, Vincent,' she thought, 'if I have to break a few laws in order to do so, I will.'

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

"What's wrong, Cat? Where's Vincent?" JT asked as he and Tess walked into the café underneath Catherine's apartment complex. "Is he all right?"

"That's what I called you over here," Catherine stated in a distressed tone.

"Oh no, he got captured again, didn't he!" JT fretted, but Tess smacked him in the shoulder.

"Don't freak, JT. Just wait and hear Cat out before making assumptions." Tess said as she sat down across from her best friend. "What happened?"

As JT took his seat, Catherine sighed. "A lot."

"That sounds…cryptic…." JT stated.

"Vincent was arrested," Catherine said quickly.

"What?!" Tess and JT exclaimed together.

"How?!" JT demanded.

"Long story; everything happened way to fast. At one point, we were happy and everything was going quite well between us," Catherine blushed, "but then we heard a knock on the door to my apartment. Quickly, we both dressed and I went to answer the door, thinking Vincent had ordered more flowers or something. However, when I opened it up, a swarm of NYPD policemen filed into the room with a warrant for Vincent's arrest. We both barely had time to process as they cuffed him, and escorted him out to a squad car."

"I can't believe this! Just when I thought the guy was going to have a break!" JT clamped his hands against his head. "W-was it the Big Bad who arrested him?"

"I don't think so," Catherine shook her head before taking a sip from her cappuccino. "The arrest seemed legit."

"Which precinct is covering the case?"

"The 95th," Catherine replied, "Detective McCauley was the one who warranted the arrest."

"And who authorized the warrant?"

"I don't know…, but I have a good idea it was Gabe."

"Gabe?!" Tess widened her eyes. "That's a pretty big accusation, Cat. Even for you."

"I know…, but he has motive, means and opportunity—we broke up last night, and he said he wasn't going to let Vincent hurt me. What better way to protect me from Vincent than to have him locked up in bars?"

"Did you speak with him?"

"Yes, I did, but he wasn't exactly willing to speak the truth; he says he had nothing to do with the arrest." Catherine replied.

"What was Vincent arrested for?" JT asked as he looked at Catherine with worry. "Being a beast?"

"No…. for the murder of Curt Windsor."

"How did they even find out about that?! Daddy Reynolds cleaned up that mess pretty well!" JT stated.

"That's what I want to know," Catherine said. "Gabe insists I speak with my father about it…says something about someone possibly making a deal with him."

"I doubt he would rat Vincent out like that," Tess said. She looked around to make sure no one was listening in on their conversation, and then lowered her voice, "Your father wanted to make sure beasts never came to light—why compromise Vincent now? If someone found Windsor's body, a coroner will find out how he was killed as well as learn of Vincent's DNA. It was one thing when people thought your boyfriend was dead to the world—no one would be able to believe a dead guy could kill someone. However, that's not the case anymore. Former Agent Reynolds wouldn't put Vincent on the spotlight like this…. Jail could be very bad for Vincent, especially if he accidentally beasts out on someone under a high-stressed situation."

"That's what I thought, but then again, my father _did_ tell me to kill Vincent before I get consumed into the world of beasts." Catherine pointed out. "Perhaps he and Gabe are working together? Maybe Gabe was the one who cut my father a deal."

"Now _that_ is a plausible theory. Both of them hate Vincent, but in the same light, they both do not want to expose beasts to the world. Gabe would have control over the arrest, and would be able to ensure Vincent does not beast out. If he does, he would have the power to cover it up by saying Vincent has bad temper problems or something." JT stated.

"So…what should we do?" Catherine asked. "I don't think it's a good idea if we let things play out—especially since he's being charged of a murder," Catherine lowered her voice, "that he actually _did_ commit."

"Well, V is smart; if he has to, he'll find a way to break out and leave the city. Knowing him, he would execute Phase E." JT replied.

"Phase E?" Catherine and Tess asked together.

"Yeah," JT nodded his head, but paused as a couple walked by their table before resuming his thoughts, "When Vincent was 'dead' to the world, we had devised several phases to execute if he was ever caught by Muirfield or anyone else."

"Please enlighten us, JT." Tess said as she crossed her arms against her chest.

"Phase E basically states: Break out of containment and leave NYC as soon as possible. If he does intend on breaking out, he'll go to the Safe Haven, contact me with his burner, and then I will help him stock up on supplies before he makes his grand exit. We have an emergency bank account set up just in case it was needed."

"How would Vincent contact you if he didn't have a burner phone on him?" Catherine asked, worried that her boyfriend would leave New York City without her. "Is there a spare somewhere?"

"There's an unopened burner phone hidden at the Safe Haven—even after Vincent was driven out of the tunnels the first time—the burner had not been removed. I can go down there today, and double-check to see if it still there. If not, I will stock one down there." JT said. "In fact, I'll go down there right now; you two work your asses off and surpass _Law & Order_ in trying to prove Vincent's innocence."

"Don't have to ask me twice," Catherine said before JT left the café. She looked at Tess and sighed, "Tess, I can't lose him again. We had just renewed our relationship, and now this happens?"

"Don't worry, Cat. We'll get him out of there one way or another." Tess smiled and patted her best friend's shoulder. "You deal with your father; I'll deal with tracking Gabe's latest whereabouts. If he _is _involved, someone's gotta know something."

"Thanks." Catherine whispered. "Regroup in a few hours?"

"Yeah, let's meet at the guild next time."

"Sounds like a plan." Catherine nodded and her best friend left the café as well. She stood up from her chair, threw her cappuccino cup into the trash can, and walked out of the café. She went straight to the parking garage, and got into her car before pulling out into the busy streets to drive to Rikers.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

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**Keiko Fujiwara: **

What do you think will happen next? Will Catherine get the answers she is looking for? Is Gabe really involved? Will she get to see Vincent at all while she's at Rikers? So many questions to answer! More will be posted closer to the summer! If people really want me to update, I might be persuaded to post a new chapter by the end of this month. :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Keiko Fujiwara: All I'm going to say is that I surely hope BATB is renewed! I don't know if I'll be able to mentally survive if they decide to cancel it! DX**

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**Title** | Reality

**Fandom** | _Beauty and the Beast (CW)_

**Description** | Catherine learns some heavy duty information from her father, Agent Reynolds when she visits him in the cell regarding Vincent's recent arrest. One thing leads to another, eventually causing Catherine to wake up in a hospital while shouting Vincent Keller's name. Gradually, she is convinced that everything she has learned about beasts was all made-believe to help her cope with her mother's death. Will Catherine buy into the story the doctors are telling her? Or, will she see past their deception and find a way back to reality? If you want to find out, continue reading!

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated T for language, suggested themes and anything else T-rated I might throw in it. If anything, read at your own discretion.

**POV** | Third Person Omniscient

**Disclaimer** | While CW owns _**Beauty & the Beast**_, I am the owner of this Masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something should be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**Reality**

**Chapter 2**

**Written by: Keiko Fujiwara**

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

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-Earlier in the Day-

After arriving to Rikers, Vincent was checked into Rikers, getting checked for hidden weapons as well as having his picture taken. Twelve years ago, he would have never pictured himself as a convict, but here he was at Rikers, being sent to prison. Just when he and Catherine had reestablished their relationship, something like this had to happen. Someone clearly didn't want him and Catherine to be together. He had his suspicions, but he couldn't just rule out anyone yet. For all he knew, the people Sam was after might have done something…. Or, even Former Agent Reynolds. Gabe was at the top of Vincent's list, but for Catherine's sake, he'll withhold judgment until after he figures out who ratted him out.

As the guard pushed him into his cell, locked it and walked away, he felt uneasy. He sat down on the cot towards the back of the cell, and leaned his back against the wall. Just as he was about to close his eyes to help him think of some kind of strategy, he turned to look towards his right when he heard a familiar voice say, "Well, I never thought I'd see the likes of you inside this godforsaken place."

Vincent groaned. "You have _got_ to be kidding me." He scooted as far away from his neighbor as possible, and clenched his fists as he tried to control his anger and hate for the man. "Of all of the inmates at Rikers, how do I get stuck next to you?"

"The feeling's mutual," the man said. "How did you get in here anyway? Has my daughter finally decided to turn you in?"

Vincent smirked, "You definitely would _want_ that to be true, but to answer your question, no."

"Then why are you here?"

"I have nothing to say to you, Reynolds." Vincent stated as he lay down on his cot. "You tried to make my life a living hell, remember?"

"Oh I remember. In fact, you're the reason I'm in this place to begin with."

"Hah!" Vincent couldn't believe the ole man. "You really don't have a clue, do you?! You're in here because you conspired to commit murder—you may have not killed anyone yourself—hell, who knows, maybe you have, but you had a list of targets; I had nothing to do with you wanting to kill off beasts. If anything, _you're_ the one who tried to drag me down with you."

"Is that what you tell yourself?" Reynolds asked as he leaned towards Vincent's cell. "Like it or not, Vincent, if not for you, I would never have been able to eliminate those…beasts. If you didn't fail to follow orders, and stay away from my daughter, we _both_ would be walking free by now."

"Don't try to flatter yourself, old man. You know very well you would have had me killed one way or another. Luckily for you, Catherine helped me see just how much of a dick you really were."

"Well, at least my daughter is dating a human now." Bob sneered as he took a sip of water from the cup the prison had bestowed him. "I can sleep in in peace knowing that."

"Hate to burst your bubble, pops, but Catherine and I are seeing each other again." Vincent smirked as Bob choked on the water he was drinking down. "Who knows, maybe in the next few years—after I get out of here—you might be my father-in-law."

"You're delusional," Reynolds stated, "Soon enough, Catherine will see you for the monster you are. You may think you're fooling everyone, but a beast is always a beast. Eventually, your animal side will take over, and my daughter will have no choice but to kill you."

"Catherine kill me? Now who is the one that's delusional?"

"History is doomed to repeat itself, Vincent. If she won't kill you, you'll certainly end up killing her." Bob replied.

"Catherine and I aren't going to let some past historical event decide our lives for us. We're determined to make our own history." Vincent said.

"Vincent Keller, if you have any sense at all, you will turn away from my daughter right now, and jump off of a cliff! Because, if I find out my daughter has been killed by your hands, I will do everything in my power to make your life a living hell." Robert said as he gripped the bars separating the two inmates.

"Just shut up!" Vincent's eyes flared; he wouldn't hear any of it. He was determined to change fate. If he was ever in a position where he thinks he might kill Catherine, he will end his own life before it gets to that. But now? When they have just started to reconnect? He wasn't going to turn that down for an instant!

Bob immediately backed away from the bars. Vincent shook away his anger, and looked away from Reynolds. "Think what you want, Reynolds, but I swear on my life I will never hurt Catherine."

With that, the two inmates decided to put the conversation to an end, and ignore each other. No harm, no foul, right?

About half an hour later, a security guard walked to Vincent's cell, and started to unlock the door. "New room assignment. An inmate just died so you're joining the big boys now in the basement level now."

Vincent sighed. Any place—even where the big bads go—would be better than staying in a cell next to his girlfriend's old man. He could handle a bunch of yelling and screaming brutes; he didn't know if he could handle himself around Reynolds. The man may be Catherine's father, but Vincent had no doubt that the guy was out to get him—even within jail. As he was escorted out of his cell, Reynolds said, "Guard, I know this man…Make sure he's locked up with shackles; he's one ruthless bastard."

"Shut up, pops." Vincent rolled his eyes. "No one asked you."

"Both of you shut up." the guard replied as he pushed Vincent down the hallway.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

"I would like to see Vincent Keller please." Catherine said to Officer Caine, a former police detective who used to work for the 125th.

"Sorry, Detective. We have strict orders to keep Mr. Keller contained in the lower level where all of the baddies go. You've seen the report; he's a ruthless man, and certainly not someone you need to get mixed up with."

"Derek, you and I both know you owe me one. Do I need to remind you exactly _how _you cracked the Anderson case back in 'O8?" Catherine asked as she crossed her arms, "I'm sure you don't want the whole NYPD to find out how you falsified evidence in order to obtain DNA. I kept a lid on it for five years because you were my friend, and we knew Anderson was the guy responsible for three murders."

"Even if you _did _tell your superiors, you would get into trouble too since you chose to keep my secret for this long," Officer Derek Caine replied, thinking he had something over Catherine.

"Who said I chose anything? I could easily tell them you threatened to kill me if I said a word. Who do you think they'll believe? A detective who left the force without reason? Or, me—a woman of integrity who has solved more cases than any of the other detectives in the precinct?" Catherine smirked. She backed up from Derek, and smirked, "But it's your decision so don't let me persuade you one way over another."

Derek gulped. "Fine. I'll give you ten minutes; after that, we're even."

"I couldn't have said it better myself." She replied. Catherine couldn't believe how well she had it all together. She should be frazzled right now, but she was desperate to see Vincent. She _needed_ to see Vincent, and if playing dirty was the only way to see him, she would do just that.

Officer Caine led Catherine down to the basement, telling his colleagues that she was running an open investigation concerning an inmate (he didn't feel the need to specify) from the basement. As they arrived, he lifted the keys off of the hook, and walked towards a large iron door. "Ten minutes, Chandler."

As he started to unlock the cell door, Catherine said, "Good, now let me inside, lock me in and leave the corridor."

"Are you insane? Look, I'm giving you ten minutes so you can speak with him—that's it."

"What if one of your superiors walk down here, and catch you letting me in to see Vincent Keller—a man you obviously were supposed to ensure NO ONE interacted with? If you leave me down here, and go back to your post, no one will get suspicious. In ten minutes…or even an hour or two—to ward off suspicion, you can then tell your colleagues that you're checking up on the prisoner."

"You're insane," Derek said. "He's a cold-blooded murderer; even if you have dirt over my head, I'm not going to let you in there… The plan was to open the iron door—not the actual cell bars too."

"He won't hurt me," Catherine stated adamantly. "Please, Derek. If I get caught, it's on me—not you. I can tell everyone I snuck in on my own. Just give me at least ten minutes alone with him. That's all I'm asking for."

"You are the craziest woman I've ever met, you know that right?"

"It's not the first time I've heard someone say that."

"Fine. But, like you said, if you're caught, it's on you." Officer Caine replied.

"Absolutely," Catherine nodded.

Derek shook his head as he continued to unlock the metal door. When he slid it open, there was another door made of iron bars—every cell within the basement level had two doors as a failsafe, and for extra security. Catherine could see Vincent sitting on the bed as Officer Caine unlocked the second door. Vincent heard Catherine's heart beating, and in seconds, as he turned around, she ran and jumped into his arms. The detective just rolled his eyes, and murmured something like, "I should have known," before locking her inside with him.

"What're you doing here?" Vincent asked as he breathed in the scent of her hair.

"I needed to see you," she whispered, not letting him go for an instant.

"It's not safe for you to be here," Vincent stated, "But I'm glad you came." He pulled away from her and caressed her face. He didn't know when would be the next time he would see her so he was going to make every second of this encounter count. "Who all knows you're here?"

"Other than the officer who let me in? Tess and JT. That's it." Catherine replied.

"How did he even let you in here?"

"Let's just say he owed me big time." Catherine said before leaning her head back onto his broad shoulder. Vincent pressed his lips against the top of her head, and relished in the moment.

"You know what this means for us, don't you?" Vincent suddenly asked, catching Catherine off guard. She pulled back and looked at him, waiting for him to continue. "I'm a fugitive now…. I don't see how I can be vindicated—especially if they have DNA evidence to prove I had killed Curt Windsor."

"You could say you were defending yourself because he had tried to kill you—which is basically true."

"By ripping his heart out?" Vincent raised his eyebrow, "Yeah, like that will go over well in court. My only option is to run, Catherine. You and I both know a prison is the worst place for…my kind…to be. Eventually, being caged in like this is going to drive me over the edge. Then, the fact that there are beasts roaming about the world will be known to the world, and then I'd be sent off to some laboratory for testing."

Catherine rubbed her hands along his strong arms, and looked at him apologetically. "I'm sorry; I was just trying to help."

"I know you were," Vincent muttered before kissing her forehead. "When you leave, go and tell JT that I plan on executing Phase E. I just need some way to bail out…"

"I think I can help with that," Catherine replied. "I will convince Gabe to have you examined by a shrink. If we can get a shrink to believe you're insane, they'll have you escorted to an asylum rather than keep you here behind bars. When you arrive to the asylum, you can do your thing and escape to the Safe Haven."

"As great as that idea sounds, Catherine, Gabe probably is the one who ratted me out in the first place."

"Which is exactly why he'll help," Catherine replied.

"I'm not following."

"If Gabe is responsible, he'll do everything he can to make sure I don't think it was him. Today, he sounded convincing enough to let me think he wasn't involved. Of course, I didn't believe him for a second, but I think we could use that… I think, if we make Gabe think we believe he's innocent, he'll have no choice but to say yes to my proposition."

"Ah, I see." Vincent nodded. "It _could_ work if planned right."

"Leave it to me," Catherine mumbled as she cupped his face. "I'm not going to let you stay behind bars for the rest of your life. We'll figure this out, Vincent. And, once you're free—legally or illegally—we will leave New York City and move to Denver like we've always wanted."

"Catherine, I can't drag you into this…"

"You're not. I'm volunteering," Catherine frowned, "Vincent, I've told you once before; you do not make choices for me. I do what I want to, and what I want to do is spend my life with you. I don't care if we have to live our lives on the run for the next twenty years. As long as I'm with you, I'm happy."

"What about your sister, and Tess?" Vincent argued, "They can never know where you are—if they do, people could use them to get to us. Do you think you can live with the fact of possibly never seeing your sister again?"

"If it means I'd be keeping her safe, then, yes." Catherine nodded. "JT will have to stay out of the loop as well."

"I know. That was the whole purpose of Phase E. Phase E was established if, in the event, that I'd have to leave New York City on my own without JT. Sure, he'd be a contact, but he wouldn't know where I'd have taken off to." Vincent said. "As much as I want to live the rest of my life with you, I don't want you to feel like you have to leave with me because we've re-established our relationship last night."

"And like I said a few seconds ago, Vincent; I _want_ to be with you. I've made my decision, Vincent. There's nothing you can do to change my mind." Catherine said as she gently jabbed her finger into his chest.

"Okay," Vincent nodded, "As long as you know what you're up against, then I guess I can't persuade you one way over another." He tightened his hold on her, and inhaled her sweet scent.

"Thank you," Catherine whispered, happy to know that Vincent respects her decision. As the door slid open, Catherine added, "I love you."

"Love you too," Vincent mumbled softly before pulling her in for a brief, sweet kiss.

"All right, lovebirds, I don't want to lose my job over here so would you break it up?" they heard Officer Caine say in the background. Catherine broke away from Vincent's kiss, and turned towards the door. Vincent could hear her heart beating in sync with his; he didn't have to hear her heart whisper what he already knew. She was willing to bring on Armageddon if only to break him out of or free him from jail.

Catherine stared into Vincent's eyes for as long as she could while Derek locked the doors. When the iron door was shut, she turned to Derek. "Thanks for letting me see him, Derek. Once I get out of here, I'm going to go and speak with my father…. There are a few things I need to understand."

"Isn't your father locked up in the West Wing?"

"Yes…and I have a feeling he is involved in my boyfriend's arrest." Catherine frowned. "I know Vincent Keller is innocent, and I'm going to learn the truth once and for all."

"Well, don't get your heart broken when you find out Mr. Keller is guilty."

"I refuse to believe that," Catherine lied, even though she did believe in the fact that Vincent Keller would never return to that dark state ever again. "Vincent is not a murderer."

"Whatever," Derek rolled his eyes. They left the basement, and Catherine bid farewell to Officer Caine before making her way to her father's cell. She didn't need to beg permission to see him. Her badge was enough.

"Hello, Dad." Catherine spat as she made her way to Bob's cell.

"C-Catherine!" he exclaimed, completely surprised to see her. "W-what are you doing here?"

"I came to ask you some questions." Catherine replied.

"If it's about Vincent's arrest, don't worry; I'm not involved." Bob said as he walked towards the door of his cell. "No matter how much I wish I was involved in his arrest, I'm not. I told you I wouldn't say anything about…you-kn0w-whats…," he looked around to make sure none of the guards could hear him, "and that still rings true today."

"How do you know about the arrest then?"

"Vincent told me," Robert responded. "He was staying in the cell next to me for a few hours before being relocated."

"I bet that was a lot of fun," Catherine muttered, "Anyway," she shook her head, "how do I know you're telling the truth. You have nothing to lose now that you're in prison."

"You're wrong, Catherine. I have everything to lose." Bob stated. "Just because I made your boyfriend's life a living hell, it doesn't mean I was doing it to spite you. You know full well that I was only doing those things to protect you from the world of beasts. I didn't realize just how far you were immersed in it until it was too late. Ripping out someone's heart…that's very beastly, if you ask me. If I had told the authorities about that, it would warrant a DNA analysis—making Vincent's beastliness known to the world. If that had happened, it is very likely someone will learn of your connection to him, and will use you as bait. No matter how corrupted I seem, Catherine, I still care and love you to risk anything like that. That's why I wanted Vincent dead—he is and will always be a threat to your life."

"You don't get to make that decision, dad. Besides, he's locked up now—you got your wish."

"Do you really think I'm that stupid to have him locked up?" Bob threw his hands up, "Catherine, you and I both know _what_ Vincent Keller is capable of…. Why throw him into jail when I know it wouldn't solve the problem?"

Catherine hadn't thought about that before. For once, her father was making sense. "Okay, if not you, then who?"

"Did Vincent or have you pissed anyone off lately?"

Catherine thought of Gabe, and grimaced.

"By the look on your face, I take it you have."

"I'd rather not think about it," Catherine stated. "I've already spoken with _him_…; he claims it was not him…, but then again, he was the one who referred me to you…."

"Looks like you already knew who the culprit was," Robert stated. "What did you _really_ come here for?"

Catherine paused. Was there another reason she came to see her father? Perhaps… "Tell me," she started, "What did you mean…when you said I had to kill Vincent…. You mentioned obsession…. What did you mean by that?"

"I take it that my words from last time has been bothering you?"

"Just answer the question."

"Fine. Our ancestor, Rebecca, was raised into a world where she was trained to kill beasts. Her father worked for Hitler in Germany during World War II. He was one of the scientists who were trying to help create the Aryan race. They did so many selective breeding by choosing certain human traits to essentially create the perfect human being. However, trials failed miserably. Hitler learned of an even superior race—one that exceeded all human beings. During the Paleolithic age, they were known as Felisians. They were predominant in Britannica, or rather, Great Britain. However, something happened—we don't know what, but legend has it, a plague wiped all of them out.. Anyway, Hitler learned of the Felisians, and decided to change up his plans. However, while everyone else still thought he was trying to create the Aryan Race, he ordered three of his most trusted doctors and scientists to start re-creating an artificial Felisian. After many months of trials, they were successful, and they managed to create about a thousand of them. Those who were predisposed, survived; those who didn't, well…you get the idea."

"Wait, are you telling me that these…Felisians…they were authentic beasts who used to freely roam Great Britain?"

"Did you honestly believe in that stupid theory that humans had evolved from apes?!" Reynolds's eye twitched. "Catherine, scientists _think_ they have found the oh-so-called skull of a Neanderthal, but what they really found was a Felisian skull. Believe me, I've done thorough studies of my own one the species. The teeth that are missing on the skull are fangs…NOT boring, human-looking teeth."

Catherine breathed in a deep breath. "Is there more you've been holding back on me?"

"Yes," her father replied, "You better ask for a chair. You're going to be here a while."

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

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**Keiko Fujiwara: **

So…a few people begged, so here is the next chapter. Like I said, this is planned to be a much longer work… I won't post / write the next chapter for a few weeks because the next story I plan on updating is "Always." Since I have Carpal Tunnel, it's going to be a slower process.

Anyway, what else do you think Reynolds has in store for Catherine? I'm telling you, your mind will be blown by the next chapter! I have big information to reveal!

Please review if you want more!

**Extra educational-blow-your-mind-note:** I created the term "Felisians," because "Feli-" as some of you know, is a root word for feline. ALSO, when looking at jaguars, panthers, leopards and the like, these larger cat species belong to a family called "Felidae." Because, to me, Vincent's beast reminds me of a panther (yellow eyes, fanged teeth), I figured he must have some heavy duty feline DNA running in his blood. What do you think?


	3. Chapter 3

**Keiko Fujiwara: All I'm going to say is that I surely hope BATB is renewed! I don't know if I'll be able to mentally survive if they decide to cancel it! DX**

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**Title** | Reality

**Fandom** | _Beauty and the Beast (CW)_

**Description** | Catherine learns some heavy duty information from her father, Agent Reynolds when she visits him in the cell regarding Vincent's recent arrest. One thing leads to another, eventually causing Catherine to wake up in a hospital while shouting Vincent Keller's name. Gradually, she is convinced that everything she has learned about beasts was all made-believe to help her cope with her mother's death. Will Catherine buy into the story the doctors are telling her? Or, will she see past their deception and find a way back to reality? If you want to find out, continue reading!

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated T for language, suggested themes and anything else T-rated I might throw in it. If anything, read at your own discretion.

**POV** | Third Person Omniscient

**Disclaimer** | While CW owns _**Beauty & the Beast**_, I am the owner of this Masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something should be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**Reality**

**Chapter 3**

**Written by: Keiko Fujiwara**

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

Catherine did as her father had suggested, and once she was situated, he started to explain himself. "I want you to know, Catherine that _this _goes back further than you might think. I cannot tell you much about the origin of the Felisians, but I based on my personal research, Hitler's crew created an artificial Felisian to a T. You and I both know Vincent was predisposed when he was turned into a beast, and so was Gabe."

Catherine flinched at the ADA's name; for his sake, she hoped she would never set eyes on him again—_he_ could not be trusted. "So…if someone is predisposed, that means they already have DNA characteristics of a…Felisian, as you call them. That means Vincent is a descendent of a Felisian?"

"Exactly." Her father nodded. "The gene, in this age, is rare, but it still exists. Vincent's brothers were predisposed too, but they were killed before having the chance to be turned into beasts. I wasn't going to tell you this, but so far, Vincent's DNA is the only one who has the closest genetic markers as an actual Felisian."

"And how would anyone know what the DNA of a Felisian is like?" Catherine raised her eyebrow.

"Remember those bones you found in Windsor's possession? Well, those bones were found in a cave somewhere in Britain during an excavation about thirty years ago. No one knew what sort of species the bones belonged to. Eventually, Cambridge auctioned the bones off, and that's how they got into Windsor's possession. Windsor had a selected team analyze the bones—and because one of his fellow employees was my best friend from high school, I managed to convince him to tell me of his findings. He gave me every copy of his notes."

"That's how you were able to perfect the beast-serum before giving it to Vincent." Catherine frowned.

"Indeed." Bob said. "Anyway, it just so happens that Windsor's maternal grandfather was one of the other scientists who aided in Hitler's secret experiments. His grandfather once told him of the gem Rebecca's father had created. Rebecca's father, Jerome Reynolds, hated himself for helping create those beasts. So, he decided to use his knowledge to create that gem—it's not your average emerald either. He mixed up a lot of properties, and used fire to harden the element into a stone-like substance. He then decided to take it to a jeweler to shape it and make it into a necklace. Once the necklace was completed, he gave it to Rebecca because he feared some of the beasts would go after him for destroying their lives. He at least wanted to protect his daughter—if there was anything right he could do in the world.

"Rebecca made use of that gem; she used it to disempower any beasts who tried to kill her or her father. Eventually, one ended up taking her father's life—she killed the beast for that. However, one night, as written in her journals, she had forgotten to wear her gem when she went to the Opera. While she was on her way home, one of her father's creations pulled her into a dark alley. She would have been killed if not for another beast saving her life."

Catherine gulped. All of this was beginning to seem very familiar. "Then what happened?"

"Her whole world shook—what she believed about beasts was distorted; she wasn't sure _what _she believed anymore. Instead of killing her savior, she let him live because after saving her, he ran off before she could stop him from getting away. After that, she had hoped she wouldn't have to cross paths with him again because the next time they meet, she couldn't promise herself she wouldn't try to kill him. However, they did end up meeting…several times…and most of those times were clearly on accident. Like Vincent, the beast she had encountered could appear human and shift whenever it was necessary. It didn't take long for her to find him; he was always around, following her and making sure she was safe. For some reason beyond me, she found that attractive and exhilarating. Rebecca, at that time, was promised to another; but she secretly met with Jonathan—her beast lover. Because she had that gem, they didn't have to worry about…difficulties…when they were together.

"About six months after she had started her affair with him, her fiancé found out about her deceit, and broke off their engagement. Rebecca wasn't too torn up about it. One night, Jonathan had accidentally hurt her. She wanted to try and…you know…without using the gem—she had always been the adventurous type according to my grandfather's memory. Anyway, the next morning, she woke up and found out Jonathan had left her…leaving a note and telling her that he couldn't risk hurting her again."

Catherine pressed her lips together. She felt bad for Rebecca; there were times Catherine had worried about the same thing in regards to Vincent. _Especially_ when they were first starting to date.

"Then what happened?"

"She found out she was pregnant."

"Was the child Jonathan's?"

"Yes…"

"How could she be so sure?"

"Because she noted in her journal that she had never_ been_ with anyone else except for Jonathan. That's why." Bob replied. "Since she didn't want to jeopardize her baby's health, she decided to put her expedition on hold until after delivering her child. However, since Rebecca quickly realized wasn't fit to care for a child, she gave him up to her younger brother, Erik Reynolds, who had already had a family by the time of Rebecca's son's birth. Occasionally, Rebecca would visit, but for _Jonathan Reynolds_'s entire life, he believed Rebecca was his aunt—not his mother."

"Did he ever find out?" Catherine asked.

"No. At least, _she_ never had the chance to tell him. By the time he was seven, Rebecca had died. When she wasn't visiting, she was traveling across the country, trying to find Jonathan. She looked everywhere for him, and finally, she had received word that a man fitting his description was killed in a shooting. Jonathan was her life, Catherine. She didn't give a damn for her son because after learning of her lover's death, she hung herself in the motel she was staying in. _That's_ why I told you to kill Vincent. You are letting him lead your life, and if ever he dies before you, it's going to destroy your will to live."

"Vincent may be everything to me, Dad, but I don't let him rule my life. He knows his place, and I have firmly told him I don't want to have a relationship with him where we solely depend on one another to survive. It nearly killed me when he was kidnapped—no thanks to you. So I don't want to go through with that again. I'm sorry for what Rebecca went through, but despite our similarities, she _isn't_ me."

"You say that now, but wait until something traumatic happens to Vincent; you and Rebecca are more similar than you might think." Robert replied.

"I'm still not understanding how Vincent and I tie into all of this."

"For a detective, Catherine, you seem to be having a hard time connecting the dots. Despite what the documents say, Catherine, Rebecca wasn't your great aunt. She's your _great_ grandmother."

"W-what?"

"You heard me; your great grandmother is Rebecca Reynolds."

"I-if she's my great grandmother, then…my great grandfather is…Jonathan."

"Exactly."

"But what does that even mean? Clearly we aren't beasts…but we have beast blood running through our veins?"

"We're predisposed just like Vincent was. Your great grandfather was artificially created; meaning, it would have to take an artificial serum to awaken the beastly blood inside our veins in order to make us become beasts. Vincent is attracted to you because you are predisposed; you're like a walking pheromone to him. When Tori was alive, she too was like a pheromone to him, but stronger since her beastly DNA was exposed; yours wasn't."

"Gee, thanks, Dad. That's reassuring." Catherine frowned.

"That's not all, though." Reynolds added. "Your mother knew everything about Rebecca; she knew someone would find out about your heritage, Catherine, so before you had gone off to college, she had your blood drawn, and she used your blood as a foundation for one of the serums she had created."

"I remember that…. She told me it was for some sort of testing the hospital was doing."

"She couldn't very well tell you she what she was going to do with your blood, Catherine." Reynolds replied. "Anyway, she made one serum with your blood as its main ingredient. She didn't know if it would work, but during her time in Afghanistan, she picked a random candidate, and injected that serum into him. From that moment on, _he_ was tied to your fate, Catherine."

"Are you saying Vincent and I didn't meet on accident?"

"No. Like I said, she picked a soldier at random—for all she knew, a woman could have been the subject for her trial. She quickly figured out who the lucky bastard was because he had saved her from being killed by General Johnson. Vincent couldn't help but protect your mother, Catherine, because she _did _carry half of the DNA your blood carried. How do you think Vincent is able to find you, or hear your heartbeat? Even when he was with Tori, he couldn't stop hearing your heartbeat, Catherine. I might have been in jail for all of this time, but he _is _your mother's creation. He wouldn't be able to stop hearing your heart beat even if he wanted to."

Catherine felt uneasy. "You're basically saying Vincent has no choice but to love me because of his DNA write-up."

"No. You're misunderstanding me, Catherine. I said Vincent had no control over having to protect you. However, he does have control over whom he loves. Hearing your heart beat, knowing where you always are…are both part of having to protect you. That's all your mother wanted. Vincent is free to love anyone he chooses; he just cannot help but protect you. It's encoded in his DNA."

"This is all too much," Catherine rubbed her head.

"What makes Vincent the best candidate for the experiments was, like I said, his predisposed genetic markers matched up almost perfectly with the genetic markers of the bones that were in Windsor's warehouse."

"So, what does that mean?"

"That means that Vincent is a direct descendent of non-artificial Felisian."

"But aren't all of the beasts who were predisposed descendants of true Felisians?"

"Yes, but what makes Vincent different is that his Felisian DNA markers are match almost perfectly with a real Felisian. As generation upon generation upon generation occurs, some of the original DNA patterns are diminished because future descendants never carry the exact genes three or four generations before them have. There's about 1/8th of a chance that a child could share characteristics with his or her great grandparents because there are eight of them to choose from. It's the same with the Felisians. Because most of the Felisians were wiped out—those who did survive, settled down with humans. Eons later, someone with about a billionth percent of Felisian blood rolls down the tube, sharing no characteristics with a Felisian other than a genetic marker. Then, there's Vincent. I don't know for sure, but my guess; Vincent's body underwent an atavism."

"I'm not following."

"Basically, Vincent was born completely human, but somewhere up his ancestral tree, even if it was thousands of years ago, one of his ancestors was most likely a pure-blooded Felisian. Over time, the Felisian DNA diminishes due to mating and conceiving with humans, but that trait—that Felisian DNA property—can resurface if the body containing the DNA is strong enough to maintain it. Vincent may have been a beast for ten years, but that was mainly due to the serum your mother gave him. Yes, he was predisposed, but his beast was not part of the atavism—not yet at least. The more Vincent's strength and willpower grew, the more his Felisian abilities surface. If he underwent any fugued states, his Felisian DNA was starting to emerge. I can assure you that we did not give Vincent another serum during his capture. We simply wiped his memories and trained him past his limits. The metamorphosis between his artificial beast suit and his current one was all on him. The more he trained, the more his appearance changed.

By the time three months were done, his Felisian abilities and physical Felisian appearance had surfaced. If I was an expert, I would say that Vincent's DNA has a grand mixture of human, artificial beast and Felisian markers. Since a Felisian has primarily dominant traits, they are more prominent in showing up on the karyotype."

"But that doesn't explain how Tori was able to Beast-Track as well." Catherine replied, wanting to know how her father would respond.

"Her father hoarded that skeleton for who knows how many years; it's possible he had some of the DNA from that skeleton extracted so he could have had a serum created that would was as close to the real thing as he could get."

I guess that makes sense…" Catherine stated. "Is there anything else you've been hiding?"

"One more thing."

"What?"

"Before Rebecca died, she had written in her journal that she was ill; she didn't know what to do or how to handle her illness, but based on the symptoms she had described, it seemed as if she had Schizophrenia. However, I might be wrong. Her illness started after Jonathan's disappearance, and she had been hallucinating about for several months during her pregnancy. Since I'm coming 100% clean, Jonathan didn't really die; Rebecca had a hallucination when she was looking for him. She was overly stressed because she couldn't find him; her mind made up a scenario, convincing herself that he was dead because she had already given up hope. It wasn't until a month later did Jonathan turn up on Erik's doorstep, looking for Rebecca to finally apologize for being such an ass. Catherine, this disease—it's hereditary. My grandfather had it, my sister has it, and it's only a matter of time before either you or I start having episodes too."

"Y-you're lying." Catherine replied. "You're just trying to scare me…"

"I'm not lying, Catherine! It's the truth! Don't you think it's a bit strange how Vincent and yours lives are very similar to that of Rebecca and Jonathan's? It's only a matter of time! Having a beast in your life is a highly stressful situation, Catherine. You _need_ to be free of Vincent; I don't care if you kill him or if you push him out of your life, but if you want to even think about a healthy future, you _need _to cut him out of your life!"

Catherine rose from her chair and grabbed the cell, "You're delusional. And even if it _was_ true, it's not going to stop me from being with Vincent!"

"If you continue to yoke with him, you'll be signing your funeral, Catherine! I'm trying to protect my only daughter from making the worse decision in her life! Catherine, you've got to listen to me! You and Vincent are bound to repeat history—you two are already heading down that path! As long as Vincent is out of your life, you'll be safe!"

"Vincent and I will make our _own_ history!" Catherine shouted. "We're done here! You may be my biological father, but if you really cared about me, you would have been honest with me from the beginning. You've had quite a long time to think about all of this, _Bob_, so I refuse to believe you. Even if you are telling the truth, I don't care. Like I said, Vincent and I will choose our own path; we're not going to let fate decide our destiny for us." She backed away from the cell and called for the guard. "You can consider this my last visit. Good bye."

She walked down the corridor where her father's cell was located and headed for the main part of the building. She desperately needed to talk to Vincent—tell him what she's learned, but there was no way in hell Derek was going to let her back into Vincent's cell again.

Instead of taking a breather to allow everything to sink in, Catherine rushed to her car. She wanted to get home as soon as possible so she could call Tess and tell her everything she had learned. She may have told Reynolds that she didn't believe him, but in fact, she did. She was a detective, after all. She could tell when someone was hiding something or when they were telling the truth. Reynolds had truth written all over his face. Still, a part of her wanted to think he was still lying.

As she pulled out of the parking lot, Catherine merged into traffic, but her mind was not with her while she was driving. The mere fact that her entire future could change in an instant scared her. What if she had been hallucinating before? What if the disease already started to take affect? What if she's been crazy all along?!

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

Tess felt horrible for what Catherine was going through. If _she_ was in a relationship with a man like Vincent, she'd be freaking out too. Thank GOD she wasn't, though. Just as she was about to get off from work, her cell phone rang. Cat. Immediately, she answered the phone. "Hello?"

"_Tess! Thank God you answered! Can you meet me at my place in twenty!? I need…I need someone to talk to."_

"Of course, what's wrong Cat? Is it Vincent?"

"_No…Yes…it's a lot of things…. Reynolds…he…he filled me in on a lot of details he had been keeping from me…" _

"_Like what?" _Tess closed her eyes, hoping nothing was serious. She could tell Catherine was distressed…very distressed. She's been best friends with Catherine for a long time know; she knew when her best friend was on the verge of tears. _"Cat? Ya there?" _

She didn't answer; she started crying.

"Hey, whatever's going on, it's going to be okay. You'll get through it like everything else, and you know I'm here for you every step of the way. Just make it home safely all right? I'll be there as soon as you arrive home."

"_I don't think __**this**__ is something that can be overcame, Tess_." Catherine said through tears. Was she talking about Vincent or of something else?

"Save the tears for when you get home, okay? Just calm down and focus on driving." Tess sighed. "You think you can do th—" Her voice was suddenly cut off when she heard a loud noise in the background. Tires were screeching, metal was bending, something was exploding. "Cat, are you okay? What happened?"

She didn't answer.

"Catherine Chandler, answer me!"

Nothing. The line went dead.

Tess immediately ended the call, and grabbed her things before racing to her car. "Don't you dare die on me, Cat." She swore to herself she was going to make Robert Reynolds's life a living hell if _anything _happened to her best friend. She pulled out her phone, and called JT. He answered. "JT, I need you to track Cat's phone if at all possible. I think she was in a wreck!"

* * *

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

**Keiko Fujiwara: **

I know this chapter probably wasn't as good but I was trying to keep the story moving. I would have uploaded it sooner, but I accidentally exited the document without saving the first draft. :/ First World Problems. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter. If there were any errors, I'm sorry. I wrote this late at night when I was half asleep. :/


	4. Chapter 4

**Keiko Fujiwara: Here's the next installment!**

* * *

**Title** | Reality

**Fandom** | _Beauty and the Beast (CW)_

**Description** | Catherine learns some heavy duty information from her father, Agent Reynolds when she visits him in the cell regarding Vincent's recent arrest. One thing leads to another, eventually causing Catherine to wake up in a hospital while shouting Vincent Keller's name. Gradually, she is convinced that everything she has learned about beasts was all made-believe to help her cope with her mother's death. Will Catherine buy into the story the doctors are telling her? Or, will she see past their deception and find a way back to reality? If you want to find out, continue reading!

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated T for language, suggested themes and anything else T-rated I might throw in it. If anything, read at your own discretion.

**POV** | Third Person Omniscient

**Disclaimer** | While CW owns _**Beauty & the Beast**_, I am the owner of this Masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something should be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**Reality**

**Chapter 4**

**Written by: Keiko Fujiwara**

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

Tess paced back and forth as she and JT waited for the Doctor's analysis; it's been three hours since Catherine Chandler was admitted to New York General, and they have heard nothing about her condition. The accident was severe; a drunk driver drove Catherine's car into a lamppost while she was driving down the Rikers Island Bridge before he ended up pushing her (and her car) into the East River. If not for Tess's 911 call as she had left her apartment, the emergency response team might have not gotten to the scene on time. A report from a witness confirmed Catherine's location and described the accident to the 911 dispatcher, forcing him to call in for a helicopter medical unit. Catherine was alive when pulled out of her vehicle, but just barely. She had suffered from massive bleeding as a result from the crash, and damage to her lungs and esophagus from nearly drowning as her car pulled her under the water. She, however, was not aware what was going on; upon the drunk driver's impact, her head had slammed into her steering wheel, rendering her unconscious. The multiple cuts from the many shards of glass that flew towards her body forced the emergency unit at the hospital to perform immediate surgery because one of the glass shards pierced the right side of her chest, collapsing her lung. It's a wonder how she had survived for so long.

"Cat," Tess muttered under her breath, "You better get past this."

"She's going to be fine, Tess." JT stated, placing a hand on her shoulder. "She's a fighter."

"I know but a lot of shit has happened lately; I should have gone with her to Rikers." Tess clenched her fists together, angry at herself for not being a better friend.

"You couldn't have known this would happen; look at the bright side, she's in good hands. New York General is one of the best hospitals in Manhattan." JT said, trying to console her. "But while we're on topic, we need to figure out if we're going to tell V about this…"

"Well, he'll hate us if we don't," Tess replied, "but, if we do, we could jeopardize his composure. I'm not sure we'd want to do something that might cause Rikers to send a S.W.A.T. team into the building."

"That's true." JT nodded. "But, then again, if we don't tell him, and he _does _find out, he'd be super angry…, and that could be worse than what his reaction might be if we _do_ tell him."

"Good point," Tess pressed her lips together. "Let's just wait and hear what the doctor has to say before making our final decision."

"Good plan." JT stated before elbowing Tess, nodding towards the doctor walking towards him. "Well?" His voice directed to the doctor. "How is she?"

"I'm Dr. Parkington. Are you Ms. Chandler's family?"

"No…we're her friends…her best of friends…I'm representing for her boyfriend since he…cannot make it over here…. He's…out of the country right now." JT said before taking in a large gulp.

"Does she have any family members in the area?"

"No." Tess answered. "Her sister is in Miami, and knowing Catherine, she wouldn't want Heather to know about this—at least not yet."

"Her parents?"

Tess sighed, "Her mother and her step father are deceased; her birth-father is in jail."

"I see." Dr. Parkington hummed. "Although I cannot tell you any specifics concerning Ms. Chandler's condition, I will say that she is stable…for now. We've stopped the bleeding, but she received numerous blood transfusions during surgery."

"May we go and see her?" Tess asked, hoping his answer would be positive.

"You may, but she is in a coma."

"A c-coma?" JT gulped.

"Yes." The doctor nodded.

"M-medically induced?"

"No." Dr. Parkington frowned.

"Will she come out of it?" Tess's heart jumped with worry.

"It's hard to say, but we will do all we can. Having a brain injury as massive as Ms. Chandler's can be scary. Unlike the rest of the body, the brain is highly unpredictable. She may wake up today or she might wake up sometime next year…" his voice faded.

"What are the chances that she never wakes up?" JT asked after popping a TUMS into his mouth.

"Again, it's hard to say. I suggest you inform Ms. Chandler's loved ones to come up here as soon as possible just in case."

"Just in case _what_?" Tess's throat started drying up.

The doctor pressed his lips together. "Just in case they'll need to prepare for the worst." Without another word, Dr. Parkington turned around and walked away from Tess and JT.

A few moments of silence passed before Tess finally gasped, "Oh my God!"

"What's Heather's number?" JT asked suddenly.

"Excuse me?"

"What's Heather's number? I obviously do not have clearance to tell Vincent since he's locked up at Rikers. You, on the other hand, do. If there's a chance Catherine could die from this, Vincent will need to know. You go and tell Vincent what's going on. I'll call Heather, tell her to fly up here, and then figure out a way to bust V out of jail—legally of course."

"Are you sure?"

"Am I ever?" JT shrugged. Tess pulled out her phone and ran her finger over her contacts. She hovered her index finger over Heather's name and pressed the button. JT looked over her shoulder, inputting Heather's number into his phone. "Now, before we split off, let's go see Cat. Who knows, maybe she'll wake up."

"Maybe…" Tess's voice faded, knowing JT's positivity was going to get them nowhere.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

**QUICK AUTHOR'S NOTE BEFORE CONTINUING: **

Normal Text = present / what is happening in real life.

_Italic Text = imaginary / what is happening inside Cat's mind during her coma_

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

_Catherine groaned as she sat up from her bed and grasped her head. As she opened her eyes, she whirred around, not recognizing all of her surroundings. There were monitors everywhere in the room, along with a TV, a crossword puzzle book?, a swivel table for God only knows what and a drawing pad with a bunch of numbers and squiggles on the top page. 'What the hell is going on?' _

_Suddenly, she realized where she was—Vincent's old bedroom at the Gentlemen's Guild. How in the world did she end up there? The last thing she remembered was talking to Tess on the phone before feeling her car spinning out of control. Was this Heaven? Was she dead? _

_She slipped out of the bed, walked over to the mirror and noticed the gaudy white gown she was wearing. Just as she was about to slide out of it and change into something more fitting, she felt a presence in the room. "Who's there?" _

"_Relax," a playful voice laughed, "it's just me." _

"_Vincent…" her voice faded. "What's going on? Why are we here?" _

"_Does it matter?" Vincent asked with a shrug before hopping onto the bed. He was hiding something. "We're home, that's all that is important." _

"_If you say so," she pressed her lips together. She sat down next to him and leaned on his shoulder. "I'm glad that I can count on you to always be here—even in the most bizarre dreams." That must be what this freaky world was—a dream. After all, she did remember something hitting her head the last time she was conscious. _

_Suddenly, the door opened and a familiar, unwanted voice said, "Catherine, who are you talking to?" Gabriel Lowan walked into the room with a strange doctor's get-up. He held a clipboard in his right hand, and frowned. "What are you doing out of bed? You should be resting—especially after trying to escape yesterday; you took a nasty blow to the head when you fell off of the fence." _

"_No one cares what you have to say," Catherine said coldly. "I'm fine; Vincent is taking care of me." _

_Gabe placed his clipboard down on the swivel desk, and sighed. "Catherine, Vincent does not exist." _

"_Yes he does; are you blind? He's right he—" Suddenly, she stopped her statement when she realized her head was resting on a pillow, and not her boyfriend's strong shoulder. "Well, he __**was**__ right here. He must have zipped out of here while neither of us were looking; his beastly DNA allows him to do that, you know." _

_Gabe sat on the corner of Catherine's bed and placed his hand over hers. She immediately withdrew her hand back. Gabe took in a deep breath and nodded. "You forgot to take your medication today, didn't you?" _

"_You're delusional. I don't need any medication. I'm as healthy as a horse." Catherine replied as she stood up and walked away from Gabe. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get out of this gown and get ready for work." _

"_You don't work, Catherine." Gabe replied. "You quit your job almost five years ago." _

"_What? Why?!" _

_Gabe rubbed his temples, "Because, you got sick. Your condition couldn't allow you to continue working as a detective….When bad went to worse, I had you admitted. You hated being away from home so I bought the Gentlemen's Guild and made it into a mental ward. They say doctors shouldn't treat their loved ones, but after pulling a few strings, I was able to have special permission to oversee your condition, my love." _

_Catherine raised her eyebrow. "This is some whacky dream, especially if you think we are lovers. Hate to break it to you, Gabe, but while we were dating, I never once loved you. I tried to, but my heart always belonged to Vincent." _

_Suddenly, Gabe grabbed Catherine's shoulders and shook her violently. "How many times must I tell you that your fantasy-boyfriend does not exist!? He was created as a coping mechanism when your mother was killed by a random shooting incident. I know there are times you can't help it, but if you took your medicine, we wouldn't be in this situation where I have to listen to my __**wife**__ rave on about someone else!" _

"_Woah!" Catherine exclaimed, pushing Gabe away. "W-wife?! We aren't married!"_

"_Yes we are!" Gabe grabbed her hand and pointed to her wedding band. "We've been married for six years." _

"_I haven't even known you for six years!" Catherine refuted as she pushed Gabe away from her. "Get away from me, you psycho!" _

"_Yeah, you heard her!" Vincent suddenly shouted, standing behind Gabe. "Get lost, you asshole!" _

"_Vincent!" Catherine exclaimed, happy that her boyfriend was back. She ran to him and wrapped her arms around him. "See, Gabe? Vincent is as real as you and me! Now, get the hell out of here or I'll call the cops!" _

_Out of nowhere, Gabe grabbed Catherine's shoulder and pulled her away from Vincent, but she held on tightly to her boyfriend's fingers. "VINCENT ISN'T REAL!" He grabbed her chin and forced her to look towards her Vincent. He wasn't there; he then pulled her chin down to look at her fingers. A wad of curtain was clutched into her hand—not Vincent's strong fingers. Gabe then pulled her face back to look at him. "Catherine," he removed the curtain away from her fingers and pulled her away from the window. "__**This**__ is real." He kissed her fingers; she grimaced. "Vincent does not exist. Please realize who you are—what your life really is. Vincent is not a true part of it; I am. Please remember who you used to be. Please, I don't like seeing you this way." _

_Vincent wasn't real? He never was a part of her life? And Gabe—he was her husband? Nothing added up correctly; she hated Gabe. Right? Gabe was the reason her life was a living hell—so why would she ever… Suddenly, her attention was taken elsewhere. She noticed a sign outside on the lawn as she looked through the window behind her bed. __**Muirfield Mental Institution**__. _

_Gabe…he's a part of Muirfield. "GET AWAY FROM ME!" Catherine shoved him away from her, and ran out of her room. She pushed past the multiple nurses and patients standing in the hallway before flying down the stairs. She had to get out of there! As she continued to make her way to the door, she heard Gabe shout, "GET HER! SHE'S TRYING TO ESCAPE AGAIN!" _

_As Catherine pushed open the doors, two security guards grabbed her. One of them wrapped his right arm across her chest while he snatched her waist with his other arm. As the other guard pulled out a syringe and tried to aim it at her, Catherine struggled with all of her might. "STOP IT!" She yelled as she squirmed in the guard's arms, "VINCENT!" she screamed her boyfriend's name, hoping he would hear her from wherever he was, "IT'S GABE! HE'S PART OF MUIRFIELD! IT'S GABE! IT'S ALWAYS BEEN GA—_

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

"What's happening?!" Tess exclaimed as she watched her best friend's body starting to jerk in multiple directions.

Several doctors and nurses crowded around Catherine, and held her jerking body as still as possible before Dr. Parkington injected something into her arm. In minutes, Catherine's body calmed down, and went limp.

"What happened? What did you give her?" Tess asked, hoping the doctor would answer her questions.

"She was seizing. I injected a dose of medicine that slowed her movements down and calmed her heart-rate. It won't prevent future seizures, but it will slow them down if they ever happen again." Dr. Parkington replied.

"What does that mean in terms of Cat's condition?" Tess inquired before pressing her lips together to a thin line.

"I am not at liberty to say," Dr. Parkington stated. "Unless you are either a blood relative or a married partner, I cannot disclose her medical condition at this time."

After Dr. Parkington left Catherine's hospital room, Tess walked over to her best friend and squeezed her hand. "Hang in there."

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

Even though Vincent was locked up in the cells for the big bads of the lower level of Rikers, he was still grouped in with the other inmates. At mealtimes, he would be escorted out of his cellblock, and taken towards the mess hall to eat with everyone else. The only difference? He was required to eat by himself at a table away from everyone else. He didn't care though. It was probably better if he sat alone just so no one would provoke him.

As he sat down at his table, he decided to watch the morning news since there wasn't really anything better to do. As his eyes glued to the television screen that was bolted to the wall, he saw the name "Catherine Chandler" plastered all over the news crawl. Ignoring the noise around him, he focused in on the anchor's voice:

"**A few hours ago, a well-known NYPD detective, Catherine Chandler, was injured in a terrible car accident off of Rikers Island Bridge. Apparently she was leaving the prison after visiting with her father, former Special Agent Robert Reynolds, and prison guards claim she was disturbed about something her father had said to her; details are still unclear about her conversation with former Agent Reynolds, but it appears her boyfriend, Captain Vincent Keller, was arrested earlier this morning for the murder of New York City's multibillionaire, Curt Windsor. The whereabouts of his daughter, at this time, are still unknown. Whether or not Keller's arrest was related to Chandler's visit to Rikers is still unconfirmed, but there's some possible truth to that theory. **

"**Witnesses report that she was driving away from Rikers, and crossing Rikers Island Bridge. Marcus Fitch, age 23, was driving while intoxicated; he lost control of his vehicle due to alcohol-induced impaired vision, crossed over the bridge's medium before hitting Chandler's vehicle at approximately 65 miles per hour. Her vehicle had wrapped around a light post, according to witness, Kelly Long's statement." **

As the camera moved away from the anchor and focused on Kelly Long, Vincent's heart stopped. He could hear himself hyperventilating, and feel the Beast trying to emerge. 'No!' he shouted to himself, needing to keep his composure if he wanted to get out of prison alive. As an effort to calm himself down, Vincent focuses his attention back to the screen.

"**...I literally thought the driver was done for." **Kelly Long had said, **"As that drunken dirt-bag crashed into **_**her**_**, I was sure she was going to die. Her car did this like flippy thing after it hit the light post over there," **she pointed behind her, **"and in seconds, her car had fallen into the East River…"**

The camera went back to the anchor, **"Chandler was talking to Detective Tess Vargas via Bluetooth at the time of the accident. Vargas claimed to have heard crashing noises in the background of her phone so she called the 911 dispatcher as soon as possible, and minutes later, a witness informed the unit of Detective Chandler's location. An emergency response team rescued Chandler, pulling her out of her sunken vehicle before flying her to New York General. Details of her condition are still unknown at this time, but EMT Specialist Isaac Frederickson, man of the hour who was in charge of the unit who rescued Detective Chandler, believed it would be a miracle if Chandler survived from this wreck. **

**This is New York's 5, Patricia Robertson, and back to you Mike." **

Vincent turned away from the TV, and closed his eyes as he continued to keep his resolve. Catherine was in pain—perhaps dead, and all he could do was sit in here like a duck and hope JT or Tess could find a legal way to get him out of there. Sure, he wanted to storm out of jail at that very second, but he wouldn't be able to check on Catherine without having a S.W.A.T. team on his back.

"Cool your jets, Vincent." Reynolds said as he walked by. "We both don't want the world to know what happens when you blow a gasket, do we?"

"Have you seen the news?" Vincent asked, his eyes suddenly turning gold. Instantly, he looked down to hide them away from peering eyes.

"I make it my business _not_ to watch the news as the world turns to turmoil. There's enough corruption as is in my life; I don't need to educate myself with more worldwide corruption." Robert replied before heading to a table. However, Vincent stood up and grabbed his shoulder.

The guards stirred, but did not intervene. They decided to watch and see how things panned out between the two men. Would Keller knock him out? Will he try to kill him?

"You should pay more attention," Vincent muttered through gritted teeth. "Catherine was in a major car accident—one that was almost fatal."

Robert's eyes widened in horror. "You're j-joking…You're just trying to convince me to feel sorry for you."

"I wish that was the case, old man." Vincent said, his resolve returning. As much as he wanted to lose control and let the Beast roam free, he needed to play safe for now. "Just watch every news channel," Vincent said as he pointed to the TV behind Reynolds' head. "you'll see that I'm not lying."

Vincent sat back down at his table, and waited to be excused in order to pick up his food from the food service line. Before he could even take a bite of his dinner after he had ordered it, a guard walked up to him, and said, "Detective Tess Vargas is here to see you. She claims she has an urgent message to deliver."

Oh no. Vincent gulped; what if she was going to tell him that Catherine only has 20% chance of living? What if…she's okay and she wants to see him? What if…No. He wouldn't dare think of _that_. The security guard escorted him to the interrogation room, and locked him inside. Vincent saw Tess standing frantically beyond the glassed window, and his heart dropped once more. Something wasn't good.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

* * *

**Keiko Fujiwara: **

Well? You like? I had fun writing this chapter! :)


	5. Chapter 5

**WriterFreak001: Got to squeeze this in! Guess what?! Two more weeks and I'm done with school until August! :D**

**I CHANGED MY USERNAME FROM KEIKO FUJIWARA TO WRITERFREAK001!**

* * *

**Title** | Reality

**Fandom** | _Beauty and the Beast (CW)_

**Description** | Catherine learns some heavy duty information from her father, Agent Reynolds when she visits him in the cell regarding Vincent's recent arrest. One thing leads to another, eventually causing Catherine to wake up in a hospital while shouting Vincent Keller's name. Gradually, she is convinced that everything she has learned about beasts was all made-believe to help her cope with her mother's death. Will Catherine buy into the story the doctors are telling her? Or, will she see past their deception and find a way back to reality? If you want to find out, continue reading!

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated T for language, suggested themes and anything else T-rated I might throw in it. If anything, read at your own discretion.

**POV** | Third Person Omniscient

**Disclaimer** | While CW owns _**Beauty & the Beast**_, I am the owner of this Masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something should be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**Reality**

**Chapter 5**

**Written by: WriterFreak001**

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

"Is she all right?" Vincent asked the moment the door closed behind him. "Please tell me she's going to be okay."

"What do you know?"

"I saw the news. She was in an accident; now, Tess, is Catherine all right?" Vincent needed to know how his girlfriend was doing. If she was drawing towards death, he was going to do whatever he could to escape prison—even if that meant breaking the law.

Tess grew silent.

"Tess, answer me." Vincent tried to keep his cool.

Tess frowned. "She's alive."

Vincent's heart sank. At least she had survived the wreck. "What is her condition? Did she suffer from any injuries?"

"Yes. She's in a coma, Vincent. She hit her head pretty hard in the wreck; her doctor did not specify, but she does have a life-threatening injury. The first twenty-four hours, as you know, is the most crucial timeframe right now. If she can survive the first 24 hours, she should make it."

"I sense there is a 'but' in that sentence." Vincent stated, trying so hard not to break out of his cuffs and storm out of Riker's in order to see Catherine.

"But…she has already seized once. I'm no doctor, but I figure it's not a good sign. After I finish talking to you, I'm going to speak to Reynolds; he said something to her—something that disturbed her immensely. She called me while she was driving out of Riker's, she was not making a lot of sense, and I think, because of her distress, she was not paying attention to her surroundings."

Vincent clenched his knuckles as hard as he could; he had to resist the urge to break out of prison. "Tess, you've _got_ to get me out of here; I need to see her. Now!"

"Calm down, Vincent. This…situation…is not as easy as you think. I can't just take you out of jail; the system does not work like that."

"Then _do_ something that does work. If Catherine's life was not in jeopardy, I wouldn't give a damn about being in this godforsaken place; however, that is clearly not the case. In order for a precinct to issue a warrant, what are the procedures?"

"Plausible evidence is one thing," Tess replied before suddenly receiving an idea. "Out of curiosity, Vincent, who else knows about…the…Apple Pie?"

"Apple Pie?" Vincent raised his eyebrows. "I'm not following."

"You know…the…," she coughed, "_Apple Pie_? Who else knows where you burried the Apple Pie the night you bought it from that place, called Winds…or something?"

Finally catching on, Vincent replied, "Only me."

"Just what I wanted to hear," Tess smiled. She stood up, and said, "Lay low, Vincent. JT is doing all he can to help you out, all right? I just had an idea so bear with me. I promise I'll drop by and give you updates, but until then, you need to keep your cool. Catherine's a fighter, remember that, all right?"

Vincent nodded. He didn't like sitting put, but what other choice did he have? Based on Tess's reaction to his answer, he gathered she had something up her sleeve.

He decided to trust Tess's word. "All right, but if I don't hear from you within the next twenty-four hours…"

"I know…but let's not let it get to that, shall we?"

"I'll try." Vincent sighed. "Am I done here?"

"For now." Tess nodded. As Vincent was escorted out of the conference room, former Agent Reynolds was on his way to speak with Tess.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

"I told you, Detective Vargas, I do not know why Catherine came to see me." Robert Reynolds stated as he rubbed his eyes.

"Maybe not, but you _do_ know what the two of you spoke of when she was here, Reynolds. I'm not going to ask again, what did you tell her?"

"I merely told her some of our family history; that's all." Robert replied. "She wanted to know the truth of our bloodline so I gave it to her."

"Which is what, exactly?"

"I believe that is of no concern to you, detective. My daughter is in the hospital, and is possibly dying as the TV suggests. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to sit in peace and quiet as I process everything."

"I'm _going_ to find out what you told Catherine one way or another. You better hope she does not die, Reynolds, or I'll ensure you that the prison life you are living now is only a ballpark compared to what it _could_ be in the future." Tess threatened. "You're free to leave."

"You're lucky I'm in jail, Detective Vargas. No one threatens me and lives to talk about it."

"Guess there's a silver lining to everything, isn't there?" Tess rolled her eyes. When she was finished speaking to Reynolds, she decided it was high time to pay Judge Gavin a visit.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

"What the hell is taking Tess so freaking long?" JT asked himself as he watched Catherine lifelessly sleep on her hospital bed. It's been almost an hour since Tess left, and he was getting agitated. His best friend was in jail, his best friend's soul-mate was barely hanging onto life by a thread and there was so little he could do about either situation. Of course, he could always give the judge a good word for Vincent, but to what degree would a mere professor's statement count? After all, he _is_ Vincent's best friend so of course he would try whatever he could to plea Vincent's release. "A call would be nice…"

Catherine's doctor walked by him, but stopped when JT cleared his throat.

"Yes?"

"Look, I may not be Catherine Chandler's immediate family or spouse, but I care for her…a lot. She's my best friend's everything, but he is not in the position to be here right now. Otherwise, he would be here for her. I know you can't tell me specific details concerning her condition, but based on her current state, do you think she'll ever wake up?" JT was hopeful, but he knew he shouldn't be.

"Like I've said before, the brain is highly unpredictable. She may wake up at any moment, or she might never wake up from her coma. It's up to Miss Chandler now. I'm sure, if there is a reason for her to continue fighting, she will fight for as long as she is capable." With that, Doctor Parkington left, muttering something about more rounds needing to be done.

JT sighed.

When will Vincent and Catherine catch a break?

"Hang in there, Cat. Vincent's going to want you to be awake when he gets out of jail." JT mumbled as he pressed his hand against her shoulder.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

"and you want me to help you because…" Judge Gavin said as he was walking towards his office.

"Look, Judge Gavin, I know Catherine Chandler is not your favorite person…considering the incident at the bar several months ago, but in light of her spirit to live on, please consider looking into the case. If, ADA Gabriel Lowan did in fact issue that warrant, the case would be compromised seeing how the ADA has unrequited feelings towards Detective Chandler. It would make sense for him to want to seek revenge by trying to take her boyfriend, Vincent Keller, out of the picture." Tess stated as she walked briskly with him. "Just consider it."

Judge Gavin stopped dead in his tracks. "Assuming ADA Lowan is seeking revenge is a heavy accusation, Detective Vargas. Are you sure you want to trespass that path no matter what the costs are?"

"If it means an innocent man is being wrongly convicted," Tess lied through her teeth, "then yes; I do."

"Good." Judge Gavin replied suddenly.

"Good?" Tess raised her eyebrow. Not exactly the reaction she was expecting.

"I've been trying to disbar ADA Lowan for years; there's just something off about his methods, but I have never had any proof to dismiss him. If, what you say about ADA Lowan is true, I'll at least be able to suspend him prior to a hearing for falsifying evidence to issue a warrant; gaining me access to all of his files in order to gather more evidence against him."

"How long do you think the process will take?"

"A day at the most, why?"

"I was kind of hoping it could go a little faster; Catherine Chandler may be dying, and if Vincent Keller is not released from jail soon, he may never have a chance to at least say goodbye."

Judge Gavin took in a deep breath and sighed. "I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you. By the way, if I am right and Vincent can be released, I'll buy you a six pack." Tess smiled before walking away from Judge Gavin. Hopefully, her plan will pull through.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

**A few hours later at Riker's: **

Vincent looked up when he heard his cell door open before him. Without a word, the security guard escorted him out of the basement-level, and led him to the main lobby where Tess happened to be waiting for him. "You're free to go for now, Keller."

"How?" Vincent asked, but Tess shook her head.

"How is not important right now, Vincent. Let's get you to New York General; I'll explain on the way."

"Okay." Vincent nodded, grateful to Tess's loyalty.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

**NOTE**:

_Italics_ – Catherine's Comatose State

Normal – Reality

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

_Catherine's eyes fluttered open, hoping to wake up from that god-awful dream. When she saw all of the monitors, she released a frustrated sigh. Apparently, she hadn't left Oz yet. As she slipped out of bed, she decided it was 'best' to play along since she did not want to be put under once again. _

_She slowly walked down the stairs of the Gentlemen's Guild with her hand splayed across the railing. She couldn't believe her eyes with what she saw. There were at least ten other patients; each of them minding their own business. One was painting, another was stacking blocks. There were nurses and doctors watching the patients perform simple functions—stuff she had learned to do in pre-school. _

_Remembering the name outside of the guild, her heart sank. What if Muirfield had been resurrected? What if they took Vincent, and all she sees is the mere memory of him instead? What if…what if all of this crazy scenario was in her mind, and was being induced by some experiment? That made sense, right? _

"_Miss Catherine, what are you doing out of bed?" a nurse asked rushing up to her. "You're not allowed to leave your room, remember?" _

"_Why not?" _

"_Your husband's orders." She replied. "You haven't been able to leave your room since your admittance several years ago." _

'_That's ludicrous!', she thought to herself. _

"_Come on, let's get you back to your room before your husband finds out you have left it." _

"_But I don't want to go back to my room." Catherine stated. "I want to go outside." _

"_I'm sorry, Miss Catherine. Under oath to this facility, I must obey orders." The nurse said before grabbing Catherine's wrist and pulling her back up the stairs. _

_Catherine was re-tucked into her bed; it was almost like she was a small child again. 'Why the theatrics?', she thought. When the nurse left, she frowned. There's no way in hell Gabe was going to keep her cooped up in that bedroom—not even in some strange nightmare created within her mind. _

"_Sleep well?" _

_Catherine smiled, turning to her left. "Vincent! You're back!" _

"_I never left," he grinned, sitting next to her. "I hate what __**he**__ is doing to you, Catherine—making you sit up here all by your lonesome while he leaves the facility to bang other women or smoke pot. It's not fair to you." _

"_He can bang whatever woman he wants, Vincent, as long as I'm not the one he's sharing the bed with." Catherine said. "You know my heart only belongs to you." _

"_Then let's make the most of his absence." Vincent said daringly. She followed him into the bathroom before removing her clothes to take a bath. Real or not, she smelled horrible, and desperately needed one. She turned on the water, allowed it to run for a while before turning off the faucet. She lay down in the tub, urging Vincent to join her._

"How is she?" Vincent asked as he saw JT watching Catherine intensely.

"Dude! How?!"

"Let's grab some coffee," Tess said as she touched JT's arm. "I'll explain in the café. Let's let Vincent have some privacy."

"All right." JT nodded, getting up from his chair before patting his best friend on the shoulder. "It's good to have you back."

"It's good to be back." Vincent smiled before JT and Tess left him to be with Catherine. Vincent sat down next to her bed, and took her hands into his before kissing her fingers. "Please pull through, Catherine. Please."

"_Crap," she muttered, "I forgot to grab a towel. Stay there." Catherine said as she stepped out of the tub and raced back into her room, not really thinking about covering herself up. She grabs a towel out of the closet, and walks back to the bathroom. Seeing Vincent standing in front of her in the stark nude sparked a fire inside of her. Instantly, she dropped the towel and decided to play a little dirty. As fast as she could, she ran into his arms; however, when she expected him to catch her and pull her in for a hot kiss, she flew into the wall behind Vincent, knocking over a vanity along the way. _

_He didn't catch her. _

_She sat up and groaned in pain. _

_He was there one moment, and gone the next. _

_She blinked several times, not noticing the many nurses and doctors racing into the bathroom. _

_He was there. _

_He wasn't there. _

_The nurses were bandaging up a large cut on her leg. _

_Vincent was right there. Why didn't he catch her?_

_They helped her stand to her feet. _

_Why didn't he catch her? _

_They escorted her back to her bed. _

_He didn't catch her. _

_They tucked her back into her bed. _

"_Vincent…" she muttered to herself as a tear fell from her eye. "What's happening to me?" _

_The next time she woke up, Gabe was in her room. _

"_Stay away from me." Catherine said in bitterness. "I want nothing to do with you." _

"_I heard you had another episode."_

"_I didn't," she lied. _

"_You're lying." _

"_No I'm not." _

"_Yes. You. Are."_

"_How would you know?" Catherine asked, realizing she was still naked underneath her covers. Absentmindedly, she held the sheets to her body to avoid revealing any skin to Gabe. _

"_Believe me; I know." _

"_I want you out of here," Catherine said plainly. "There's only one person I want in this room right now and __**you**__ are not him." _

"_Catherine, for the last time, Vincent is not real!" Gabe frowned. _

"_Yes he is!" she shouted. For if he was not real, what did she have left to cling on to?_

"_No he is not!" Gabe yelled in frustration. "Must we repeat this all over again!? Honestly, jumping into nothing? That ought to be a sign to you that Vincent Keller never existed in the first place!" _

"_He exists to me!" Catherine burst into tears. "He exists to me and that's as real as anything is right now! You are the illusion, Gabriel Lowan. Not Vincent." _

_Gabe inhaled a deep and angry breath. "I've had enough of your delusions, Catherine. It's time you learn what is truly real and what is not real!" In seconds, Gabe ripped away the sheets from her body and forced himself on top of her. She tried to push him off, but with the sedatives still in her system, she was too weak. _

"_What are you doing?!" she panicked; she felt violated in every sense of the word. "Stop it!" She tried kicking him, punching him—anything, really, but he was just too strong for her. "Get off of me!" she screamed as she continued to struggle against his might. He smacked her—hard. _

"_I'm going to break you so hard, Catherine, you won't know what's coming." Gabe threatened through gritted teeth. "If this is the only way to tear Vincent Keller out of your mind, then so be it." _

_Everything he did to her made her want to vomit. Where had she gone wrong? Was not Gabe her 'husband?' Why would he want to do this to her? As he forced himself against her, she eventually gave up fighting, and could only mutter three soft words as he violated her body: "You're. Not. Real." _

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

Suddenly, Catherine's body started to seize again. This time, more violently than the last time. Vincent called for her doctor, but he was not quick enough. Recognizing her symptoms, Vincent rummaged through the medicines in the cabinets until finding the correct serum. Quickly, he ripped off the package of a syringe case, and filled the tool with the serum before injecting the medicine into Catherine's body. In minutes, she calmed down. Vincent sighed.

Immediately, he took Catherine's chart, wrote a few scratch notes to indicate the dose of medication he gave her, and placed it back on its hook before her doctor came rushing in. "I'm sorry for the delay, is everything all right?"

"Yeah," Vincent replied, not wanting to let the doctor know what he had done. "False alarm."

Dr. Parkington left and returned to his rounds. Vincent turned back to Catherine and leaned down to press his lips against her mouth. He gently departed from her before kissing her forehead. "Please, Catherine; I need you to come back to me. Please. Please come back to me," he begged her, hoping his words would somehow reach her. "I need you, love. You have no idea how much I need you here with me."

Her fingers twitched in his hands.

Vincent's heart leaped; though still comatose, every response she makes is just as important as her waking up. It may only be a small twitch, but she heard him. Whatever is going on inside Catherine's mind…she heard him. He could live off of that for now.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

_Catherine lay on her bed with dry tears stained on her face. She ached all over; her insides felt like they had ripped apart. She had cuts and dark bruises swelling all over her body. If she had any pride left, she wanted to crumple it up and toss it away—all she wanted to do was die. _

_After Gabe had left, he ordered for no one to see her for the day—she was to remain in the room without contact with anybody. She stared at the wall, remembering all of the pleasant memories she had with Vincent; she needed to erase the memory of…out of her mind. His touch, his lips, his soft brown hair. She wanted him; she missed him. She needed him. But he wasn't real. Gabe made that very clear to her. She had expected Vincent to come to her rescue—she called his name multiple times. _

_He never came. _

_Suddenly, the door opened. Gabe walked inside, and closed the door before locking it. _

"_Hello," he cheerfully stated as if he did not remember what he had done to her. "How are we today?" _

_No answer. _

"_Catherine, I want you to know that I had no choice last night. You needed to be taught a lesson." Gabe said casually as if she was some sort of pet that needed Obedience School. _

"_Vincent…" Catherine called out to him quietly. _

"_Catherine, he's n—"_

"…_dead…not real…I killed him…not real…dead…I killed him….not real…" Catherine mumbled over and over again as she continued staring at the ceiling. _

"_Atta girl." Gabe smiled. "Keep that up, and you'll be able to leave this room in no time." _

_Catherine didn't move nor show Gabe that she understood what he had said. He left her, and slammed the door behind him. As she whispered to herself over and over and over again that Vincent was not real, she heard a voice; it did not feel like the voice was coming from the walls; it sounded like the voice was coming from the outside. It was soothing, and welcoming. She knew that voice very well. Vincent. _

"_**Please, Catherine; I need you to come back to me. Please. Please come back to me," he begged her, hoping his words would somehow reach her. "I need you, love. You have no idea how much I need you here with me"**__ The voice was an echo coming from somewhere. She tried searching for the source but couldn't. "Vincent," she muttered, closing her eyes, and praying to hear his voice again. _

_Nothing. _

_Just as she thought. It was in her head. After all, she was silly in the first place for thinking she could have ever had a perfect relationship with a beast; Vincent was not real. _

_None of it was ever real. _

**Beauty & the Beast~**

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**WriterFreak001: **

Let me know what you think! More to come (eventually!)


	6. Chapter 6

**Keiko Fujiwara: This will be the last update I will make until I am done writing my Faulkner paper. I needed a brain-break, and figured typing this chapter out would be a good way to alleviate my stress levels. **

**A reader asked me to start bringing in a happy ending for VINCAT. I will just say this: I do have a planned happy ending for this fanfiction, but that ending is not planned for quite some time. There will be some more 'painful' reading chapters, but please bear with me. As I told that one reviewer in a private message, sometimes a person (namely Catherine) must face her darkest fears first before reaching pure happiness. Consider the coma some sort of spiritual / mental journey.**

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**Title** | Reality

**Fandom** | _Beauty and the Beast (CW)_

**Description** | Catherine learns some heavy duty information from her father, Agent Reynolds when she visits him in the cell regarding Vincent's recent arrest. One thing leads to another, eventually causing Catherine to wake up in a hospital while shouting Vincent Keller's name. Gradually, she is convinced that everything she has learned about beasts was all made-believe to help her cope with her mother's death. Will Catherine buy into the story the doctors are telling her? Or, will she see past their deception and find a way back to reality? If you want to find out, continue reading!

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated T for language, suggested themes and anything else T-rated I might throw in it. If anything, read at your own discretion.

**POV** | Third Person Omniscient

**Disclaimer** | While CW owns _**Beauty & the Beast**_, I am the owner of this Masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something should be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**Reality**

**Chapter 6**

**Written by: WriterFreak001**

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

It's been a few hours since Vincent arrived at the hospital; he did not know how long it would be before Gabe tried to pin murder on him again so he cherished as much time as possible being with Catherine. As a former doctor, he understood that brain injuries were highly unpredictable. Catherine's broken bones were slowly healing, and he knew she would not be able to return to her job at any time soon if she were to wake up. Remembering that her fingers twitched within his hands when he had first tried to speak to her, Vincent was curious of what was going on inside Catherine's mind. Obviously _something_ was happening; she was not brain-dead nor deaf. Her brain had processed everything he had said; however, _something_ was keeping her from waking up.

Vincent kissed Catherine's fingers before pressing his lips against her palm. "What on earth is going on in there, Catherine?"

Minutes passed, but she did not respond this time. She just lay there—still and pained.

"How is she?" JT asked as he and Tess walked back into the room.

"She seized again," Vincent replied quietly. "…but shortly afterwards, she moved her fingers."

"Then why is she not awake?" Tess asked, concerned for her best friend.

"These things take time," Vincent said. "The twitching of her hands may be a result of numerous things. One, she _could_ have heard me, and was trying to reach out to me. Two, something happened within her mind, causing a nervous reaction. Whatever the cause is, however, I'd like to think she moved her fingers in response to what I said to her."

"We can only hope." JT sighed. "Anyway, good news: Tess received a call from Judge Gavin; he told her Gabe has been disbarred for falsifying evidence. Guess what he did to 'pin' the murder of Curt Windsor against you."

"What?" Vincent asked, definitely curious to find out how Gabe convinced a precinct that he had killed Curt—especially since he did not know where Curt's body was buried.

Tess smirked, "Detective McCauley was very cooperative when Judge Gavin threatened to put him behind bars for conspiracy. The detective told Gavin that Gabe had forged a warrant, handed it over to McCauley and paid him a thousand dollars to arrest Vincent Keller. When McCauley asked Gabe why he wanted you arrested, Gabe told him it was something personal."

"Wow." Vincent's eyes widened. "I thought Gabe was smarter than that…"

"He was pissed, dude. It's amazing what kinds of stupid things guys can do over a girl." JT said, before adding, "including going beast-straight, V."

"I admit, it was a little stupid at the time, but I had good reasons." Vincent defended himself. "Anyway, what happens now?"

"Well," Tess said as she took a seat, "Since Gabe has been disbarred, he cannot try to convict you of anything—at least not for a while. His disbarment is not permanent; it's only a temporary suspension until Judge Gavin can find enough evidence to send Gabe to jail. Apparently this would not be the first time Gabe has played dirty before—big shocker there."

"So…I don't have to look over my shoulder every time I go out into the streets of New York?"

"Well, I wouldn't be too cocky, Vincent," JT said. "You should at least be weary of your surroundings—especially if Gabe sends gooneys after you again."

"Oh geez, don't even remind me of Garnett and Newel." Tess shook her head in disdain. "Those two were freakin' unprofessional and too trigger-happy for their own good. It's a good thing they've been…terminated…, because if I had ever seen them again, I would have killed them myself." JT gave her a strange look. "What?" Tess shrugged. "Okay, so maybe I wouldn't have killed them, but I would have made sure that they would be in for a world of hurt for shooting at me."

Vincent chuckled lightly—anything to distract him from the blame he feels for Catherine's accident. If not for his arrest, she would have never been at Rikers. Like everything, Catherine's accident was his fault. He turned away from his friends and looked at Catherine with burdened eyes.

"Perhaps," Vincent uttered aloud unintentionally, "perhaps it would have been better if I had pushed Catherine away the first day in the warehouse."

JT and Tess paused their mini conversation, and stared at the back of his head.

"What are you sayin' man?" JT placed his hand on Vincent's shoulder. "You don't really mean that…"

"Don't I, though?" Vincent asked as he turned to look at JT and Tess. "If not for me, Catherine would never be in this position. It's not the first time she's been hospitalized on my account." Vincent remembered the time when she had shot him. He had heard from JT a few days later that Catherine had gone to the hospital after her mini-wreck because she suffered from a small concussion. He also remembered the time she was shot by that prissy, perfect wannabe on the night of her adoptive father's wedding. Sure, the woman shot Catherine for meddling in her affairs do to the case, but she would have never been shot if he hadn't given her the assignment.

"That might be so, Vincent," Tess crossed her arms across her chest, "but if not for you, Catherine could be dead by now."

He looked at Tess with a strange look. "and with me, does it look any better?!" Vincent thrust his right hand towards Catherine's comatose body to support his point.

"That's not what I'm saying. Sure, with you, there are risks. I'll give you that, Vincent, but think about it. She came to your doorstep, and asked for answers. You tried to turn her down—as JT had once told me-, but she just kept coming back. If you had never let her in…, she would have done _anything_ to find out why her mother was killed. You had given her a lead—Muirfield. Knowing her, she would have walked into Muirfield's door, demanding for answers. Luckily, you saved her from doing just that. Remember, Vincent; not all bad has come from your relationship."

"Besides, V," JT added, "I've never seen you better as a person than when you are with _her_. I never told you this before, but during the ten years you were in hiding, there was a darkness inside of you. You never told me about the night you saved Catherine Chandler, but on the nights you would sneak out to check up on her, you were always in a very good mood. I fear what would have happened to you if you never saved Catherine from Muirfield. You were on the verge of traveling down a dark road, V…. Who knows, maybe…maybe without Catherine, you would have been more of a beast than a man. Trust me, dude, she is and will always be good for you. Don't sell yourself short, man."

Vincent nodded as he pressed his lips together. He knew his friends were right, but, often, he wondered what Catherine's life would have been like if they had never crossed paths—if Muirfield had never killed her mother. "You know…this may sound crazy, but I proposed to her early this morning."

"You did?!" JT and Tess both exclaimed.

"Yeah…"

"What did she say!?" JT asked, taking the words right out of Tess's mouth.

"She…didn't say no…, but she didn't really say yes either. Basically, she told me we should wait and see where things lead since we had just rekindled our relationship. At the time, I was a little bit grateful she wanted to wait—I honestly was not ready to be married to her. I proposed on impulse; it was silly, really. However, now? Now that I am sitting her and watching her fight for her life? I don't want to wait after she wakes up; I don't think…I don't think I would ever be able to live with myself if I ever lost the chance of being married to her—she is everything I am not, but that's what makes her so special, you know? I _need_ Catherine in my life, and she deserves to be happy; this might sound insane, but if Catherine and I ever get a chance to have a normal life, I don't want to hide behind my fears anymore. Whatever she wants, I'll be more than happy to give her—even if I have to work my ass off in getting it for her. If she wants kids, I'll give her a full family. I want to give her everything, is that too much to ask for?"

"Not at all, man." JT said, squeezing his best friend's shoulder. "You deserve to live as normal a life as you can get. If you and Catherine have to move to Iceland in order to have a normalish life, I'll support the two of you. Hell, I'll pay for your plane tickets." JT patted Vincent's shoulder. "Catherine _will_ wake up, Vincent. It's only a matter of time, but she _will_ wake up. She has to."

"Thanks, buddy." Vincent replied with a short nod.

"Yeah, and if you two want to live under other names, just let me know. One of my brothers handles WitPro Clients, and he owes me one. He'll make the two of you new identities no questions asked." Tess smiled. "I think…I think Cat owes it to herself to be happy as well. I've known her for a very long time, Vincent; I don't think she's not ready to get married. Hell, when she thought she was pregnant, I could tell she would have wanted nothing more than to have married you. However…Cat…she's been through a lot. I think she's afraid of tying the knot because she's scared of losing you, Vincent. You are the best relationship she has had in her entire life; when something good happens, something bad usually follows. It's always been that way with Cat. I don't think she's cursed or anything, but she just has had a lot of bad luck in her life. She graduates high school, her boyfriend of four years leaves her—of course, he was a douchebag anyway, but that's beside the point. She goes to college, her mother is killed. She excels in all of her classes at Princeton, another boyfriend leaves. She dances with you at her adoptive father's wedding, she gets shot. You two are about to start your life together, you get kidnapped. Don't you see, Vincent? It's a constant cycle for her, and I think she's afraid that if she marries you, she'll end up losing you. Just…keep that in mind when you decide to pop the question again."

"Thanks…."

"All right, it's getting pretty late," JT said as he looked at his watch, "I think I'm going to head back to the Guild."

"Yeah, and I have to go back to the precinct to file some reports." Tess stated.

"Okay," Vincent muttered. "I'll see you guys later then. I think I'm going to stay for as long as possible."

"But you're not even going to leave the vicinity, are you?" JT noted.

"Not a chance."

"All right, see you tomorrow, buddy." JT nodded as he walked out of the hospital room with Tess following behind him.

Vincent turned back to Catherine and took her hands into his before kissing them. "Catherine, I'm here. I'll always be here. Please…be here for me."

**Beauty & the Beast~**

_Catherine sat and stared at the wall, not really paying any attention to anything. When she realized just how unreal Vincent was, she consented to retaking her medication. Seeing Vincent, but now knowing he was made up, hurt her; she cried whenever she would see him sit next to her. She desperately desired his warmth, but how can someone obtain it from an imaginary person? _

"_Catherine," she heard Gabe walk into her room. "How are you doing today?" _

_She didn't answer. _

"_Has Vincent made any appearances recently?" _

_Still, she did not answer. _

_Gabe sighed. "No matter; you have a visitor today." _

_Catherine looked in Gabe's direction, curious. _

"_Come on in!" he called back to whoever was standing beyond her bedroom door. Suddenly, Heather came walking in with a nervous look on her face. _

"_Hi Cat…" she stuttered. _

_Almost instantly, Catherine jumped out of bed and wrapped her arms around her baby sister's neck. Taken by surprise, Heather casually hugged her sister. Catherine noticed. _

"_What…are you doing?" Heather asked as she raised her eyebrow. _

_Catherine gave her a strange look. _

"_We never hug like this." Heather replied subtly. _

_Catherine released her sister from her embrace, and sat back down on her bed. Had she been imagining her sister's affections as well in this life?_

"_Why is she not talking?" Heather asked Gabe. _

"_She's in shock…she'll get over it soon enough." Gabe shrugged. Catherine tuned him out and started staring at the wall again. _

"_Did something happen here?" _

"_Nothing I couldn't handle." Gabe smirked. _

"_Can…Can I talk with you for a moment?" Heather asked Gabe as she pointed outside of Catherine's room. Gabe nodded and followed Catherine's sister out into the hallway. Curious, Catherine crept towards the door, and leaned against the wall so she could listen to her sister's conversation with Gabe. _

"_What is it?" Gabe's voice sounded through the door. _

"_What have you done to her? She looks like a freaking vegetable!" _

"_I said she's in shock; not stupid." _

"_Are you blind?! Did you not see the emptiness in her eyes? She's miserable!" _

"_She's healthy, Heather. That should count for something." _

"_Maybe in the mind, she is…, but if you looked into her eyes, you would see just how broken she is. She needs to be taken off of her meds." Heather said in confidence. _

"_I'm afraid you do not make that decision, Heather." Gabe scoffed. "I do, and I say she needs to stay on them!" _

"_At what cost, though?" _

"_Excuse me?"_

"_You heard me. Look, I don't know the extent of her condition, but obviously, whatever her condition has given her, has brought her hope and peace of mind. How can you not see that?" _

"_Heather, she was hallucinating Vincent Keller again." _

"_So?"_

"_So?! Don't you know where that might lead to?! Vincent Keller was the mental creation her mind made up to cope with your mother's death!" _

"_If Vincent Keller is the only hallucination she seems to be having, then I don't see what the problem is. Vincent Keller obviously makes her happy—even if he is a figment of her imagination. Without me…and without you…Catherine is lonely. Vincent gives her a sense of companionship. Why take that away from her?!" _

"_She needs to know who her husband is!" Gabe shouted. "She replaces me with Vincent Keller! Vincent this, Vincent that! I'm tired of hearing about him! She married me! She should be bragging about me!" _

"_You're really that selfish, aren't you?" Heather clicked her tongue. "Can't you see Catherine's sick? She will never be the perfect wife. You should want for her happiness, and obviously Vincent Keller gives her just that. Besides, I've been brushing up on knowledge about Schizophrenia, and I learned that trauma triggers a Schizophrenic episode; if she is seeing Vincent again, it's probably because she either witnessed a traumatic event or she endured one." _

"_Well, she did hit her head." _

"_That wouldn't be traumatic enough."_

"_Then what?" _

"_I don't know, but it is not important right now. What is important is getting her back off her meds so she can be happy again. I hate seeing her like this." _

"_Fine…I'll take her off her meds; however, before we do so, I think it is safe to say that we should tell her what really happened to your mother oh so many years ago." _

"_Are you insane?! Do you know how big of a risk that is?! It would destroy her!" Heather exclaimed in anger. _

"_She deserves to know, Heather. Whether or not she likes it, she deserves to know." _

"_No! If we tell her, she will either lose her entire mentality or she'll end up killing herself; I wouldn't be able to live with that, would you?"_

_Gabe was silent for a brief moment. "Sometimes, it's better knowing the truth in spite of the risks." _

"_I don't know what my sister ever saw in you, Gabe; obviously you don't care about her wellbeing—you're just after information, aren't you?"_

"_Why do you say that?"_

"_Because the last time I was here, you grilled me for wanting to tell her the truth. All Catherine knows is that our mother died of an accidental shooting; she does not need to know anything more than that." Heather's word seemed final._

"_Heather," Gabe's teeth was clenched, "She __**killed**__ your mother; how are you not bothered by that?" _

_Catherine's eyes widened. What? _

"_I was, believe me, I was for the longest time, but then I began to think about Catherine's side of things. She was clearly sick before mother's death; everyone thought it was just stress, but when she pulled the trigger on mom, thinking she was being hunted by some freak agency, how can we blame her? She didn't know what she was doing—in her mind, Mom was not there. So…we're going to honor Cat's memory. Is that too hard to ask?" _

_Suddenly Catherine 0pened the door as Heather noticed Gabe's smirk. "W-what do you mean I killed Mom?" Heather froze. She turned around and saw Catherine leaning against the door. "ANSWER ME!" _

"_Catherine," Gabe started, "It was an accident. No one blames you." _

"_No! You're wrong! Mom wasn't shot by me! She was killed by Muirfield Agents!" Catherine shouted as she clamped her hands over her ears, burying her fingers into her hair. _

"_You're right! You're right!" Heather exclaimed as she placed her hands on her sister's shoulders to try and console her. "Mom was killed by those bad men, okay? Okay?" _

_Catherine backed away from her sister. "But you just said—"_

"_I was just speaking in riddles." Heather lied as she tried to approach her sister. _

"_Liar!" Catherine pointed at her sister. "Both of you are liars!"_

"_Catherine, it's okay! You didn't kill Mom." _

"_I trusted you!" Catherine cried. "I let you live in my apartment, and all of this time…YOU were a part of Muirfield too!"_

"_I don't know what you're talking about, sweetie. Come on, let's get you back to bed." _

"_No!" Catherine pushed past them and ran down the stairs towards the front door. She shoved open the door and flew past security as she exited the building. She bolted through the streets of New York City, not caring who was staring at her. She may not be 'hallucinating' anymore, but that did not mean she could not discern from the truth. She heard, with her own ears, that her sister and Gabe had covered up something huge and took great lengths in order for her not to find out. How could Heather do this to her?! How could she?! _

_Catherine ran to the only other place she knew could have still exited—the warehouse. If Vincent was never real, then the warehouse would still be around. She had run so fast that not even the institution's security guards could stop her this time. She was free! _

_Catherine found her way to the upper level of the warehouse, expecting to see Vincent and JT's mini home; however, nothing was there. She sat down against the wall, looked upwards as she caught her breath. There's no way they'd be able to find her. Whatever was going on, Catherine knew she could only trust herself—and only herself. _

"_**Catherine, I'm here. I'll always be here. Please…be here for me."**__ A voice, much like the time before, sounded from the walls of the warehouse. Suddenly, she felt a warm, loving presence envelop around her; however, Vincent Keller was nowhere in sight. Catherine could take comfort in the fact that __**someone**__ somewhere was watching out for her—an angel, perhaps?_

**Beauty & the Beast~**

Vincent squeezed Catherine's hands in his own as he watched her sleep. Something was going on inside her mind; her EEG spiked thrice in the last ten minutes. If her brain was responding to _something_, why hasn't she woken up yet?

"All right, the hospital is closing soon; visitation hours are over in five minutes." Doctor Parkington said as he walked into the room. He approached the EEG machine and hmm'ed. "Well, at least Miss Chandler isn't brain-dead. Her brain seems to be awake, but something is holding her back from waking up. It's only a matter of time…"

"Look," Vincent said, "I may not be a neurologist, but the brain can only take so much of seizing. If Catherine endures at least one more seizure, it's possible she could be in risk of going brain dead. I'm not going to lie, I've taken a look at her chart, and I am led to believe that she has been incorrectly diagnosed."

"What do you mean?"

"Based on the level of trauma her head has endured, she is not experiencing a Persistent Vegetative State as you have written on the charts. A Persistent Vegetative State would involve involuntary movement and responses. You haven't been around, but Catherine is slowly responding to my voice. She wiggled her fingers in my hand several hours ago so I refuse to believe she has reached a vegetative state at this time. As of right now, her diagnosis should be Cerebral Hypoxia—not only did she injure her head as a result of her car accident, but she also almost drowned, causing a lack of oxygen to reach her brain. _Something_ is going on inside her mind, Doctor Parkington. Whatever it is, it's keeping her from going brain-dead at the moment, but I am beginning to believe that whatever she is mentally going through, it is not helping her situation. In fact, I am led to believe that she is slowly getting worse the more she is in this coma—and I _think_, no, I _know_, my voice will eventually come through to her before she falls into a severe state of unconsciousness."

"It would seem you have a strong medical background," Doctor Parkington said. "I haven't told your friends this, since they are not family members, but between you and me, based on Catherine's EEG, the number of seizures she endures, the length of time she's been under and her lack of voluntary movement—once does not count, Catherine's chances of waking up from her coma are slim. My team and I will do our best, but in terms of the brain, there's only so much we can do."

"Why the cynicism?" Vincent asked. "As a doctor, you should know that the brain is unpredictable. If anything, Catherine has as much a chance of waking up from her coma as anyone else. Give her more credit. She's endured a lot in the last few years. You don't know her, but she's a fighter."

"Then I'm sure she'll wake up sooner or later." Doctor Parkington replied, embarrassed for Vincent calling him out on his unprofessional conduct. "Visitation hours are over. It's time to leave Ms. Chandler alone for the night."

"I know New York General's hospital terms, Doctor Patterson. If a family member is present, and the patient is terminally ill or unresponsive, he or she is permitted to spend the night or several nights in the hospital in case of emergencies."

"But you are not a family member. Boyfriends do not count."

"I'm not done." Vincent replied. "However, if a patient is terminally ill or unresponsive and a family member is _not_ present, the Hospital may grant permission to allow the patient's boyfriend, girlfriend or future spouse to stay the night in family member's stead."

Doctor Parkington sighed, not really wanting to get into a debate about whether or not someone could stay at the hospital. "Very well. You may sleep in the bed on the other side of the room."

"Thank you."

"But no funny business."

"I would never." Vincent replied; what did the doctor take him for—a man-slut?

Without another word, Doctor Parkington left Catherine's room, defeated.

Vincent gave Catherine a short but sweet kiss on the forehead, whispering, "Good night, love. Please wake up soon."

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

* * *

**WriterFreak001: **

Man! That was one heck of a chapter! O_O

More to come soon! (like the weekend—maybe)

Please read & review! :D

NOTE: I changed my FFN name from Keiko Fujiwara to WriterFreak001.


	7. Chapter 7

**WriterFreak001: OH MY GOSH! BATB HAS BEEN RENEWED! :D TO CELEBRATE, I BRING YOU MY NEXT CHAPTER! :)**

**REMEMBER, if something is not confirmed by the CW company itself, than do not believe in it yet! (this goes to the controversial issue addressing the number of episodes S3 will have).**

**At the end of the chapter, I will discuss something important…**

* * *

**Title** | Reality

**Fandom** | _Beauty and the Beast (CW)_

**Description** | Catherine learns some heavy duty information from her father, Agent Reynolds when she visits him in the cell regarding Vincent's recent arrest. One thing leads to another, eventually causing Catherine to wake up in a hospital while shouting Vincent Keller's name. Gradually, she is convinced that everything she has learned about beasts was all made-believe to help her cope with her mother's death. Will Catherine buy into the story the doctors are telling her? Or, will she see past their deception and find a way back to reality? If you want to find out, continue reading!

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated T for language, suggested themes and anything else T-rated I might throw in it. If anything, read at your own discretion.

**POV** | Third Person Omniscient

**Disclaimer** | While CW owns _**Beauty & the Beast**_, I am the owner of this Masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something should be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**Reality**

**Chapter 7**

**Written by: WriterFreak001**

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

Vincent fluttered his eyes open as natural light beamed into Catherine's hospital room. He had meant to sleep on the bed next to his girlfriend's, but he must have fallen asleep while he had laid his head on her lap. He sighed when he saw his sleeping beauty resting blissfully, but inwardly frowned; her body made no indication that she had woken up while he was asleep during the night. He took her limp hand in his and kissed her palm, praying she would wake up soon. "I love you, Catherine." he whispered against her hand before kissing it again.

"What are _you_ doing here?" a familiar, unwanted voice asked from behind Vincent.

Without turning around, Vincent said, "Shocked to see me?"

Gabe cleared his throat. "N-not at all. I…I just heard you had been arrested so that's why I'm a bit surprised that you're here instead of Rikers."

Vincent rolled his eyes. "I was let go. They didn't find enough evidence against me. Oh, and," Vincent stood up and turned around, "you can cut the theatrics, Gabe. I know you were the one who warranted the arrest on me. Smooth move, by the way; guess it didn't pan out after all. I think the two good things that came out of this lesson is my freedom, and your disbarment."

"You really think I can't find something to pin against you?" Gabe smirked.

"Oh, you can try, but without your title, you're not really a threat, Gabe." Vincent said.

"Am I?"

"I think you should _leave_." Vincent frowned. "You're not wanted here."

"You can't kick me out." Gabe replied subtly.

"I could call security; after all, you were just one of the many reasons Catherine was distressed yesterday." Vincent threatened Gabe as he folded his arms across his chest. "Seriously, Gabe. You _need_ to go."

"Is that a threat?"

"No. A warning." Vincent replied quickly.

"I think I'll stay." Gabe smirked as he walked towards Catherine. "Besides, if I _am_ the cause of Catherine's distress, I believe I owe it to her to pay my respects."

"She's in a coma, Gabe. She's not dead."

"No she's not, but she could have been." Gabe frowned. "Like it or not, Vincent, I still care about Catherine."

"If you truly cared about her, you would have never tried to take her away from me. She's happy with me; you might as well pull the stick out of your ass and accept that fact because I'm not going _anywhere _unless Catherine kicks me out of her life."

"I wouldn't be too sure of that." Gabe simply stated. As he placed his hand on Catherine's shoulder, her body started to violently shake again. Vincent pushed Gabe away from Catherine, and just as he was about to call for a doctor, her seizure ceased.

"As I said before, Gabe, you need to leave." Vincent walked back over to Catherine and guarded her from Gabe's touch. He placed his hand over hers with hopes that Catherine would not react to Gabe's closeness again. "Now."

"Do you really think I'd ever listen to you again?" Gabe frowned. "After all, you _are_ the one who stole my girlfriend away from me."

"I didn't steal her away from you; she came back to me willingly." Vincent smirked.

"We both know that if you had stayed away from her like I told you to, she would still have been with me." Gabe scoffed.

"Is that what you think? Mind you, Gabe, _you _were the one who tried to drive her away from me; in the end, your vindictiveness led Catherine right back into my arms so I guess I have to thank you for that…." Vincent said sarcastically, "But, I think we both know who she chose a long time ago."

"Oh? And what gives you _that_ impression?"

"Did you _honestly_ think Catherine would just cut me off Cold Turkey, and run back into your arms to enjoy a hot, summer picnic?" Vincent raised an eyebrow. "I mean, get real. Like it or not, I was a part of Catherine's life, and the relationship we had wasn't something she could just separate herself from. Seriously, Gabe, you were asking her to basically destroy a part of herself by telling her to cut ties with me. How well did you actually think that would go over?"

"She didn't seem bothered by the idea until _after_ seeing you almost die in that blast when trying to save Xavier Wright." Gabe sneered even more.

"And yet, she _still_ ends up running into my arms in the end." Vincent replied with dignity. "You chased her away, Gabe. I didn't steal her. Enlighten me, however, did you actually care for her? Because, if you did, you never would have sent that police squad on me. If you care for Catherine's happiness, you would have let things alone."

"Catherine does not deserve to be with a monster like you, Vincent. She deserves someone better."

"What? Someone like _you_?"

"Maybe."

"You had your chance, Gabe. You blew it. If you can't accept all of Catherine—including her past with me—then you never deserved her." Vincent squeezed Catherine's fingers. You may be her boyfriend, right now, Vincent, but while you were having a Beast Identity Crisis, _I_ was the one who was there for her. Not you. Who is to say something like that won't happen again? You're not human, Vincent. Every day she is with you, you put her in eminent danger. Catherine deserves a normal life."

"I plan on giving her as normal as a life I can offer."

"But is that good enough?"

"What is it you want Gabe? Do you want to hear me say I'm perfect for Catherine? Do you want me to say I think Catherine made the best choice in the world by choosing me? Because I won't. I am far from perfect for her; in fact, I am probably the worst candidate to be her boyfriend right now, but you want to know why I do not push her away?"

Gabe kept silent. He simply walked over to Catherine's left side of the bed, and continued to stare at Vincent.

"The reason I do not push Catherine away is because, every morning, when I wake up with her—even yesterday morning—she's always smiling. She's the reason I keep on living, and my reason for staying with her. I love her—more than you can possibly ever know, but I'm not going to say I'm right for her because I'm not. And you know what? Yes, you were there for her when I was in a dark place. No matter how twisted you are, I thank you for that. But I got better, and obviously, you were starting to try and control her life."

"I was trying to protect her." Gabe replied as he accidentally dropped his phone. He bent down, reached for it underneath Catherine's medical bed, grabbed it and then stood back up.

"Catherine is very capable of taking care of herself."

"Says the man who cannot seem to help but save her."

"I'm slowly learning my lesson." Vincent replied. "Now, you should leave before my angry side comes out."

"One day, Vincent, I will find a way to imprison you."

"But not today." Vincent smirked as Gabe left the room. Once the suspended ADA was out of earshot, Vincent sank to the chair beside Catherine's bed as he continued to hold her small hand inside his large ones. He kissed her fingers gingerly before leaning his forehead against her limp arm.

"What will it take for you to come back to me, Catherine?" Vincent mumbled quietly. "You need to fight this, love. I need you, baby, so please find a way back."

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

_Catherine heard __**his**__ voice again as she woke up from a deep slumber. His voice was warm and welcoming; she wanted so much to find him, but no matter where she seemed to look, he was nowhere to be found. In spite of everything Gabe has told her, she knew the Vincent she was seeing was not real; however, the voice she keeps hearing makes her feel like her Vincent—the __**real **__Vincent—is reaching out to her from another universe. _

"…_**I need you, baby, so please find a way back…" **__echoed inside her mind as she walked about the warehouse. "Where are you, Vincent?" Catherine asked softly, wanting so much to be back in the arms of the man she loves. _

"_I'm right here." _

_Catherine spun around and found the Vincent of her imagination standing before her. "No…you're not real…not in this life anyway." _

"_Maybe not," Vincent replied, "but did you ever begin to think that maybe you're not real either?" _

"_What are you saying?" Catherine asked._

"_Maybe…just maybe…none of this is real, Catherine. Think about it, you don't remember ever marrying Gabe; hell, you don't even remember what happened before waking up yesterday with a splitting headache. __**You**__ know what's real, Catherine." _

"_Then how do I get out of here?"_

"_I can't help you with that, love. You need to figure it out on your own." Vincent said as he tried to reach out to her. She saw him touch her cheek, but she couldn't feel it. Oh how she missed Vincent's real touch. _

"_I don't want to be here anymore, Vincent…" Tears started to fall from her eyes; "Like you said, __**I **__know what's real. What you and I have—whatever lifetime that is in—is real, but not in this reality," she shook her head slowly, "This reality—whatever it is—scares me….I know I'm not sick, Vincent…not now, at least, and I'm certainly not crazy." She paused for a moment as her bottom lip started to quiver, "This life scares me, Vincent, because I do not know who I am anymore. What if…what if this…this Catherine Chandler is who I really am—who I will become? It scares me, Vincent, and I don't like being scared."  
_

"_This is not you, Catherine; I can assure you of that." _

"_How can you be so sure?" _

"_Because the Catherine Chandler I know and love is strong; she's a fighter. Don't let this reality get to you, Catherine. You are a detective; maybe it's time you start with your instincts and investigate." Vincent said as he placed his unfeeling hand on her shoulder. "I'll be right with you, every step of the way." _

"_Who are you, really? If you're some sort of figment of my imagination, how do you seem to know me? How are __**you**__ not playing some godforsaken role in this weird reality where I'm some delusional patient with Schizophrenia?" _

"_I can't answer that." _

"_Why not?" _

"_Because, in order for you to find your way out of this reality, you need to figure it out yourself. I'll only be here to assist if needed." _

"_Assist how?" _

"_By reminding you that you are not crazy Catherine." Vincent replied. _

"_I hope that is the case." Catherine mumbled. _

"_Hey…" Vincent frowned, "I may not be physically real, Catherine, but I assure you, I am very real; you just have to find me." _

"_How? I'm sort of running out of options here." _

"_Why don't you start from the very beginning? What was the last thing you remember before waking up in the Mental Institution?" Vincent asked, curious to hear what Catherine remembers. _

"_It's all fuzzy…. I remember you…and me…us…waking up in bed together," she smiled at the memory, "and then you were arrested…" _

"_Then what happened?" _

"_I can't remember….Like I said, it's all a bit fuzzy." Catherine frowned. _

"_Perhaps, once you remember what you've forgotten, you'll find your way back." Vincent whispered to her. _

"_And I don't?" _

"_You have to have faith in yourself, Catherine. I know I do." _

"_That's easy for you to say," Catherine mumbled, "You're not real in this world, remember?" _

"_But I'm real to you, Catherine. Perhaps you also need to focus on what's true to you before believing in the lies of this reality. Maybe, along the way, you'll remember." _

"_Perhaps…" Catherine's voice faded and Vincent disappeared as well; suddenly, she noticed a tracking device embedded into her forearm, and mentally started to panic. What if they've found her? What if Gabe had known where she was all along, and was waiting for the perfect moment to collect her?! No! This was not going to happen!_

_Almost instantly, Catherine started digging her nails into her arm as an attempt to rip the device out of her body. For minutes upon minutes, she dug into her skin with her fingernails, eager to remove the tracking device. The more she shoveled through her flesh, the less pain she felt. Blood spilled out of her arm as her fingers wormed their way through her tissue. She couldn't be found by Gabe—not now, not ever! Two hours swept by before she was able to find the small device that had apparently been sewn into her muscle. She scooped it out, stood up and crushed it with her foot. 'Take that, Gabe!'_

_Needing to dress her wound, she wandered about the warehouse until she could find some bandages. She wrapped her arm up with several bandages to stop as much bleeding as possible before finding her way back to the corner of the warehouse, away from the door. Wherever she was, she couldn't die in a fake reality, right? So, a bleeding wound wouldn't actually cause her harm, would it? _

_She hoped not._

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

Vincent opened his eyes when he thought he had smelled Catherine's blood. With one look at her, he immediately stood up and called for the doctor. Apparently, while he had been asleep, Catherine must have had another seizure or something because her left arm was covered in blood. It was almost as if someone took a knife and plowed through her skin in search of something. As he was looking for what could have possibly cut Catherine's arm, he found a small bloodied glass shard—the size of a Dorito chip—taped to the left arm rail of her bed. Quickly, he grabbed a pair of gloves and removed the shard and held onto it as nurses and Doctor Parkington made their way into the room.

"What happened?!" the doctor asked.

"I woke up and found her left arm lacerated; of course I immediately called for you."

"How was her arm lacerated? She's tied down."

"I found this," Vincent said as he picked up the glass shard with his gloves, "taped to her bedrail."

Doctor Parkington took the glass shard and placed it into a petri dish before telling one of his nurses to take it to the lab for testing to determine who could have put it there. As the nurse left, Doctor Parkington sighed. "These are deep cuts…I'm going to have to stitch her up; the shard pierced through her muscle as well."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Vincent asked as the nurses tied off Catherine's brachial artery.

"Sit here…and wait." Doctor Parkington sighed as he followed the nurses taking Catherine to the surgery ward.

"Easier said than done." Vincent mumbled as he sat down, and heaved a great sigh. For a few minutes, he sat in silence as he contemplated what to do. Should he go in there and offer his services? Should he ask if he could at least hold her hand? Or, should he just trust the doctor's judgment and wait as instructed?

"Where is she?" he heard Tess ask as she and JT stepped into Catherine's hospital room.

"She had an incident…they took her to the surgery ward to stitch up her arm." Vincent replied. "_Someone_ taped a shard of glass onto her bedrail, and while I was sleeping, she seized, and as her arm jerked about, it was repeatedly punctured by the shard."

"That's awful! Who would do such a thing?" JT asked, disgusted. He and Tess walked into the room and sat down on the vacant seat.

"I'll give you one guess." Vincent replied out of anger. "Guess who had the nerve to visit Catherine this morning?"

"G-gabe?" JT lifted his eyebrows.

"Bingo." Vincent frowned. "I should have known he would try something. He must have placed it there when he dropped his phone. The hospital's lab tech are testing it for prints."

"If Gabe's print—even a partial print—happens to be on that glass shard, I'll have evidence to arrest him for an indirect assault."

"Gabe may be an ass," Vincent stated, "but he's smart. He knows how the system works so he won't screw up by leaving a fingerprint on evidence."

"But he _did_slip up by hiring spineless McCauley as your arresting officer." Tess reminded the beast.

"That was a miscalculation on his part," Vincent said. "I'm sure he wouldn't dare let something like that happen again."

"The more I think about it, the more I am convinced Gabe is a serious sociopath. I mean, who knows what else all of those tests Muirfield did to him. For all we know, he has been suffering from internal damage for years."

"I believe it." JT raised his hand as if he was seconding Tess's notion.

"So what do we do now?" Tess asked with a frown.

"Nothing…" Vincent replied.

"Excuse me?" JT raised his eyebrow. "Do you even know what you're saying?"

"Yes," Vincent nodded. "Listen guys, as much as I want to waltz right up to Gabe and punch the living lights out of him for all of the heartache he has caused Catherine, I think enough's enough."

"What are you saying?" JT was flabbergasted. 'Vincent? Calling it quits? What's gotten into him?'

"I don't want Catherine to live her life at war with Gabe. No matter what we do, Gabe is smart enough for a counterattack. Let's leave his corrupted self to the Feds. After all, Tess, you said Judge Gavin is having feds look into his records and such. Eventually, they'll catch him, but I don't want Catherine involved when they do; they'll keep digging and digging and digging, and for all we know, they may stumble upon me—upon beasts. I cannot risk that for Catherine. When she wakes up—and she will—I am going to take her away from New York." When he saw the looks on JT and Tess's faces, he added, "Not permanently, just long enough to help her clear her thoughts—and maybe serve as vacation time. Lord knows, she needs one."

"I think we all need one." Tess stated as she rubbed her temples. "But Cat can bet her ass that when she wakes up, I'm not going to let her out of my sight when she gets back on the field."

"Thanks." Vincent said, but added, "I'm not sure how Catherine will take that though. You know how independent she likes to be—having you watch over her as her babysitter may not sit well with her."

"I don't care." Tess replied. "I'll hook her up to a leash if I have to."

"A cat on a leash…that'll be a first." JT couldn't help but grin at the thought.

Vincent chuckled lightly, but Tess did not think JT's comment was very funny. "Jokes aside, we have to make sure Gabe stays away from Catherine…and me…if all possible. I can't trust him to be around her, and I certainly don't trust myself to be around him."

"On it." Tess said. "Considering he's a person of interest in a bigger case…and since Cat _is_ the girlfriend of the man he just tried to convict of murder…he _should_ be ordered to keep his distance. After all, who is to say he won't try to target Catherine next?"

"He already has." Vincent pointed out.

"But we cannot prove that yet." Tess replied. "I'll be back later; I'm going to talk to my pal, Gavin. Since he has a thing for wanting to catch Gabe, I'm sure he wouldn't mind warranting house arrest on him—after all, Gabe _knows_ he is a person of interest…. Suspects would have to be stupid to even go near victims of a case."

"Unless Gabe thinks he has nothing to hide." JT added.

"Someday, that cocky attitude is going to be the very thing that puts him in jail." Tess stated as she disappeared from the room.

"You think she'll be able to pull that off? Putting Gabe on house arrest?" JT wondered as he anxiously kicked his feet up and down like a little kid.

"She's come through so far; Tess is a smart detective. If Gavin won't cooperate, I'm sure she'll figure something out." Vincent smiled.

"Right." JT nodded. "Anyway," he stood up and placed his hand on Vincent's shoulder, "I hate to say this but I must be off. I have a class to prepare for and it's cruel for me to keep making the TA teach the lessons."

"JT, you have tenure." Vincent reminded him. "TA's are paid to do your work, you know."

"I know, but if I don't get my ass into gear, I'm going to have to raise the TA's salary." JT replied as he started walking out of the room. "Hang in there, V."

"Thanks. I will."

"And don't forget to catch some sleep every once in a while."

"I won't."

"Great! Just think about it, Cat will be back to making love to you in no time." JT grinned as he pointed at his best friend.

Vincent rolled his eyes. "Don't you have somewhere to be?"

"Right." JT nodded. "See you later?"

"Yeah."

"Alright. Cool. Later, dude." JT said before leaving Catherine's hospital room as well. Vincent sighed. JT was such a goofball at times; his timing to brighten the mood was impeccable as always. Just as Vincent was about to stand up and walk down to the food court and but some grub, Doctor Parkington walked in and the nurses wheeled Catherine back into the room.

"Physically, she's going to be fine." Dr. Parkington smiled. "Mentally…that's entirely up to her will to wake up. I have to go right now but I will be back shortly to check up on her."

"All right; thank you, doctor. I'll look after her for now."

"I'm sure you will." Doctor Parkington gave Vincent a small smile before leaving for his rounds. As the nurses filed out of the room, Vincent turned around and sat back down in his seat while he watched Catherine sleep soundly. Food can wait; his beloved cannot.

Once more, he took her hands into his and kissed them. He did not know what he would have done if he was still locked up in that godforsaken prison facility. He hated seeing her connected to all of the many different machines that were helping to keep her alive. He desperately wanted to scoop her up into his arms, plant kisses all over her face and tell her how much he loves her. He could do the third any time he wanted to, but would she hear it? Could she hear it?

They say coma patients may be able to perceive, but not respond. Perhaps that is the case for Catherine. "Wherever you are, Catherine," he muttered as tears slid down his cheeks, "wherever you are, love, _please_ come back to me. I need you here with me." He kissed her fingers and held her palm to his lips. He closed his eyes as he felt more tears threatening to fall. A life without Catherine was imaginable. He had to believe she was going to push past this…he _had _to have faith that the love of his life was going to open her eyes any moment, and tell him how much she loves him. For, if he did not believe in Catherine, who would?

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

_Catherine's eyes fluttered open as the light seeped into the warehouse. Sh had been hiding there for almost a full day, and so far, Gabe has not found her. Maybe she dug out the tracking device just in time. She looked at her arm to assess the damage. She gasped, blinking once—twice—as she examined her forearm. The injury had vanished! 'Okay…either I am dreaming or this is some whacked up reality I've been sent to. Catherine stood up to her feet, and paced the floor. She remembered something Vincent had said earlier. Her memories—whatever they are—are real. Her memories are her reality—possibly her guide back to the real world. Everything here…everything in this world…is not real. Only __**she **__and Vincent are real. Vincent may not be flesh and blood in this world, but he is as real as the Vincent she knows and loves. After all, thinking of him—of the warehouse—led her away from Gabe. He has always been truthful to her; Gabe has not. There's no way in hell Catherine would ever have killed her own mother. She __**knows**__ what happened—she was there. _

"_**Wherever you are…please come back to me." **_

_His voice called out to her again. "Vincent…" she muttered. _

_Suddenly, she heard a loud pounding sound resonating from the door. "OPEN UP! I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE, CATHERINE CHANDLER!" _

_Catherine's heart dropped. 'No! He's not real!' _

"_CATHERINE, OPEN UP OR I WILL FORCE THIS DOOR OPEN!" Gabe yelled through the locked doubled doors. _

"_You're not real," she muttered to herself. "You're not real."_

"_ONE!" _

"_Gabe's not real! Gabe's not real! Gabe's not real!" she continued to mumble as she clamped her hands over her ears. _

"_TWO!" _

_She pressed her fingers against her head as hard as she could, and shouted, "NO! YOU'RE NOT REAL! NONE OF THIS IS REAL!" _

"_CATHERINE! OPEN THIS GODDAMN DOOR!" Gabe screamed with anger. The handle jiggled violently as Gabe continued to bang on the metal. _

_Catherine closed her eyes as tight as she could and fell to the floor. "NO!" As he continued to try to break it open, Catherine plugged her ears, and finally shouted, "GET! OUT! OF! MY! HEAD!" _

_In an instant, the yelling and the banging stopped, and everything went to silence. Catherine opened her eyes and removed her hands from her ear, and froze. "What h-happened? Where everything?" She looked all around her, and in every single direction, all she could see was darkness. Pure darkness. _

"_This is your mind, Catherine." she heard Vincent say to her right. _

"_M-my mind?" _

"_Yes," Vincent replied. She couldn't tell where he was, but she knew his essence was close. Suddenly, a blur of colors illuminated in front of her; she saw a hospital room. __**Someone**__ was in the bed, and another was holding that person's hand while whispering things to the patient. _

"_What is this?" Catherine asked. _

"_That's you in the bed, Catherine."_

"_I don't understand." _

"_Something happened to you, Catherine…. However, only you are able to piece the puzzle together." Suddenly, the image before her cleared up, and she could see her Vincent mumbling sweet words of love to her. A tear fell from Catherine's eye as Vincent continued. "What you see in that window __**is **__your true reality, Catherine. When you accepted the fact that Gabe was not real, your mind brought you here…to this darkness." _

"_But why all of the darkness?" _

"_You're in a coma, Catherine. In order to find your way out of this mess, you __**must**__ remember everything you've forgotten. Only then…will darkness fade to light."_

"_How?" _

_Vincent sighed. "Listen to your heart" _

_Before she could ask anything else, she knew she was alone again. "Oh Vincent…how do I get back to you?" _

_For minutes, she watched Vincent kiss her fingers and whisper words of love to her comatose body. It was almost like she was having an out-of-body experience because she wasn't watching him from her own eyes; she was watching Vincent from somewhere in front of her lifeless body. She didn't care how or why she wasn't seeing him through her own eyes; all she cared about was returning back to him. _

"_I love you, Vincent." She whispered, "I just don't know how to escape from here…." _

"_I think I can help with that." A voice said from behind her._

"_Who's there?!" Catherine called out as she whipped around; however it was still so dark, she couldn't see much of anything. She recognized the voice, but she couldn't put her finger on it. _

"_You killed me, remember?" the devilish voice echoed around her. "Some time ago, I tried to kill you for ruining my happy ending. However, somehow you survived the bullet I put into your chest." _

"_S-sabrina Meyer…" Catherine mumbled. _

"_That's right," Sabrina replied. "I'm glad you remembered me."_

"_You're not real. You're just a figment of my imagination." Catherine said as she tried to shut her out. _

"_Are you sure about that?" Sabrina asked. "Let's just test __**how **__real I am after I kill you once in for all. You do realize that whatever happens in here—in your mind—reflects what happens out there, right? Every time you have a freak-attack, your body has a seizure. Every time you get hurt on this end, your body has a similar effect on that end." _

"_Why are you telling me this?"_

"_Because," Sabrina replied as her voice came closer to Catherine, "I want you to suffer as you watch yourself die." _

"_I won't die that easily; especially by the likes of you." Catherine spat. "I'm not afraid of you, Sabrina." _

"_You want to bet?" Sabrina asked. Suddenly, Catherine heard a gunshot sound off; the next thing she knew, she gasped for air as a bullet pierce her stomach. "That's for ruining my happy ending." _

_Catherine struggled to breathe as she fell backwards against a solid surface. "H-h-h0w?" she tried to ask, but her mouth filled up with blood. _

"_We are in the deepest part of your mind, Catherine. That other reality is nothing compared to what you're going to have to face in this one. Not only will you have to find what memories you've lost, but you're also going to have to go through all of the painful ones again as well. However, the painful ones will be altered as recompense for what you have done. You shot Vincent in the stomach, ergo, I have shot you in the stomach. If you make it out of this horror alive, your next memory will be just as painful if not more." _

_With that, Sabrina vanished, leaving Catherine hiccuping for air as blood spilled out of her stomach and gushed out of her mouth. She leaned against the surface behind her and watched the mayhem happening outside the window. _

"_**SHE'S FLAT-LINING!" the Doctor shouted. "I need a dose of Vasopressin injected into her system pronto!" **_

_**Nurses scurried about the hospital room as the doctor started giving her body chest compressions. As she watched her body lifelessly move up and down as the doctor compressed her chest, she noticed Vincent struggling to keep his beast in control. His eyes were flickering back and forth from brown to golden yellow. However, because there was so much going on on the doctor's end, no one noticed his transitions. He was squeezing the bedrail as hard as he possibly could to control his beastly urges to protect her. **_

"_Vin…cent…" she mumbled as she felt numb throughout her body. _

_She pressed her hand against her gut, and pulled herself onto her feet. Clumsily, she stumbled closer to the window, and reached out to him. She was not ready to die yet. She still had something left unfinished. As she touched the vision with her hand, she called out his name again, and whispered, "Yes." She did not know why she had said, "Yes," but for some reason, she felt compelled to say it. Suddenly, she heard the sound of her flat line dissipate into slow, but steady beeps. The doctor in the vision sighed and wiped his brow. _

"_**She's not ready to let go yet." The doctor patted Vincent's shoulder before giving Catherine's body another dose of medicine. "Your girlfriend is definitely one hell of a fighter." **_

_**As the doctor and nurses leave the room, Vincent sank to his seat, and stared at the wall. **__Catherine felt her stomach, and nothing was bleeding anymore. Hell, she wasn't even sure if the bullet was even there to begin with. Several minutes passed as Vincent simply stared outward with a blank expression on his face. Suddenly, his bottom lip started to quiver, and tears began to slowly fall from his widened eyes. She covered her mouth as she watched him suffer; why did she have to put him through all of this? It wasn't fair to him! Suddenly, she watched Vincent pick up one of her hands and press it against his lips. As he kissed her palm, her heart shattered as he crumbled; the barrier he built to hold all of his emotions dissolved into nothingness, and for the first time ever, she saw him painfully weep for her. She could hear his heartbroken cries echo around her as he mumbled something like, __**"Don't die on me, Catherine…. Don't you dare die on me! Come back to me, love; please! I'm begging you, please follow my voice!" **_

_Before she could see anymore, the vision faded and everything was black again. "No! I need to see more!" Catherine begged as she stood to her feet and started running in a random direction. "I need to see what happens!"_

_Nothing happened. _

_When she realized she couldn't be heard by __**anybody**__, she sank to her knees and cried. What was it going to take for her to get back to the man she loved?_

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

Heather Chandler slowly followed one of the nurses as she made her way towards Catherine's hospital room. She had heard that her sister was in a coma, and had some major complications—including flat lining. When she had asked the front desk about her sister, they told her to wait because Cat was undergoing some great ordeal. It wasn't until everything was stable when the secretary told her what had happened. When she heard that her sister had flat-lined moments before, her heart sank. If Cat dies, who would she have left?

She blamed herself for Catherine's accident. She had called Tess earlier, and learned that her sister had been going through a lot since her departure to Miami. If Heather had never gone to Florida, perhaps Catherine would not have been in the hospital.

"Room 378B is the next door on the right." The nurse smiled.

"Thank you." Heather nodded as she walked towards Catherine's hospital room. The nurse left to continue her other duties, and as Heather was about to walk into Catherine's room, she heard someone—a man—crying over her sister. She recognized him from the back of his head and from the sound of his voice—Vincent Keller. She wasn't an idiot—she first recognized him on the TV when the headline, "WAR HERO COMES BACK FROM THE DEAD," was plastered all over the news crawl and newspapers—even the National ones. She felt bad for criticizing Catherine the year before. She assumed Vincent Zalansky was some criminal when, in fact, he was a hero in hiding due to bad people being after him. Suddenly, she was brought back to her thoughts, when he mumbled though his sobs, "Don't die on me, Catherine…Don't you dare die on me! Come back to me, love; please! I'm begging you, please follow my voice!"

When she heard his words, she covered her mouth to stifle her own sobs. Ass truly did love her sister after all. She knew she shouldn't be listening in on his private conversation with her sister, but she couldn't help herself. Even though his words were not directed to her, they touched her heart, making her rethink _everything_ she had ever thought about Vincent in the past.

"Two nights ago, we were incredibly happy together. There are no words to describe the elation I felt when I woke up to find you smiling at me, Catherine. I had asked you to marry me…and at the time, you were right. It was a foolish thing to ask considering…what I am. Now that you're here…and in this position…I don't think I can take no…or even a maybe…for an answer again." She saw him brush his fingers against her face before giving her fingers a quick kiss. "When you get out of this, and you will," he wiped the tears off of his face, "you and I are going to have one badassed wedding because, like it or not, Catherine, I can't see my life without you. You want a traditional wedding? I'll find a perfectly small church for us to have a simple and sweet wedding like you've always dreamed of.

"You want a picket fence? I'll build it myself. Hell, I'll build us a house for us to live in until we both die in many years to come. You want children? I'll give you as many as you want. I don't know if you can hear me, Catherine, but I'm done hiding, and I'm certainly done holding back. You've prove n to me, again and again, how we are stronger together, and I believe that's true. As long as we face the world together, we can live a somewhat normal life. But…if you die, Catherine; then none of those beautiful and wonderful things will happen because, so help me God, I will follow you to the grave." Tears started to fall from his eyes again as he squeezed her hand. He licked his lips and continued, "You die, I die. Plain and simple. If we can't be together in life; I'll make sure we'll be together in death. One way or the other, you and I will be together."

He leaned downward and kissed Catherine's forehead. Heather was not aware of how loudly she was sobbing after hearing him speak like that to her sister.

"H-heather!" He backed up with surprise.

Heather stood up, wiped away her tears and slowly made her way towards Vincent. "Hi…"

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

* * *

**WriterFreak001: **

:D well THAT was one hell of a chapter! XD

NOTE: I changed my FFN name from Keiko Fujiwara to WriterFreak001.

**DISCUSSION: **

Note to all Beastie fans, I recommend all of you steer clear of SPOILERTV from now on. That website, if you have not noticed, has a very toxic environment. Everytime I go there, I am heartbroken to see all of the hate on that website in regards to BATB. I just don't understand how so many people can hate a show so much! :'( Anyway, I just wanted to warn you against SPOILERTV in case you do choose to use it. The people on the website—even the admins—are horrible towards BATB. So please pass this on to other Beasties.


	8. Chapter 8

**WriterFreak001: **

**Important WF001 Story Calendar! **

**So…I was looking at all of my VINCAT stories, and noticed something…NOT ALL OF THEM ARE FINISHED! **

**(****づ￣ ****³****)****づ ****Soooo…my plan of action is simple during the summer! **

**This is the order in which I will finish all of these unfinished stories: **

**~Reality**

**~A Matter of Time**

**~Always**

**~For Her**

**~Shadow-Bound**

**~Serendipity (I plan on re-starting this fiction because I love the idea, just not liking the direction I took the story)**

**~NEW FIC(s)**

**I plan on axing "My Normal is when I'm with You" AND "To Feel Normal Again" because I am not satisfied with those stories at all. :'( If people still want them up on FFN, that is fine, but I do not plan on continuing / adding a sequel to these two stories. By next week, if less than 5 people want the stories to stay on the website, I plan on removing them. **

**ANYWAY… On with the important part of this typing…. **

**\****(｡◕‿‿◕｡)/**

* * *

**Title** | Reality

**Fandom** | _Beauty and the Beast (CW)_

**Description** | Catherine learns some heavy duty information from her father, Agent Reynolds when she visits him in the cell regarding Vincent's recent arrest. One thing leads to another, eventually causing Catherine to wake up in a hospital while shouting Vincent Keller's name. Gradually, she is convinced that everything she has learned about beasts was all made-believe to help her cope with her mother's death. Will Catherine buy into the story the doctors are telling her? Or, will she see past their deception and find a way back to reality? If you want to find out, continue reading!

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be rated T for language, suggested themes and anything else T-rated I might throw in it. If anything, read at your own discretion.

**POV** | Third Person Omniscient

**Disclaimer** | While CW owns _**Beauty & the Beast**_, I am the owner of this Masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something should be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**Reality**

**Chapter 8**

**Written by: WriterFreak001**

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

"W-what are you doing h-here?" Vincent asked as he jumped out of his chair, completely surprised of Heather's appearance. How did he not sense her presence? He should have at least been able to smell her scent the moment she had walked in.

"I came to see my sister." Heather replied in a hushed voice as she brushed away a few more tears.

"R-right. How long have you been standing there?"

"Not long…" A lie, Vincent gathered.

"Oh. All right, well…I'll just…I'll get out of your way." Vincent said as he started walking towards the door.

"Wait," Heather muttered, causing him to stop walking. "H-how long have you been in love with Cat?"

Vincent didn't answer.

"That long, huh?" Heather deduced.

"I…I should go." Vincent stated quickly, but before he could make it out the door, Heather grabbed hold of his arm.

"I'm sorry…I didn't mean to sound…bothered by the fact that you love my sister. In fact, I'm glad she has someone like you to look after her." Heather admitted. "I lied earlier…I had been here for quite a while…and I heard your heartfelt speech."

"You d-did?"

"Yeah…I thought it was sweet." Heather smiled. "Listen, Vincent…I know last year was a bit rough between us. I obviously jumped to conclusions about you, and it is clear to me that you aren't a criminal like I thought you were. I believe Catherine had tried to tell me that…once…but because of my tendencies to gossip and her burden to keep your secret of being alive…she could only tell me about you in so many words. I should have just trusted my sister as well as you. I had cost you and Catherine your relationship, and I'm sorry. I'm not surprised that you two started dating again once I was out of the picture." Heather lightly laughed as she removed her hand from Vincent's arm. "I'm quite a nosey sister, if you know what I mean."

"Um…If it makes you feel any better…you didn't cost us our relationship, Heather." Vincent answered calmly as he walked back towards Catherine's hospital bed. "We sort of faked that whole break-up scene at that club…. Due to the situation and everything, we weren't surprised of your bad vibes about me. So…to cure you of your heartache, we decided it was best to fake a break-up for your benefit."

"Wait…you two have been dating this whole time?" Heather blinked from confusion. "Why would…why would Catherine lie to me about that?"

"It was to protect you…. I'm not going to lie; before I met your sister, I was caught up in a huge mess while serving in the military. I…witness things…I know things…that I should not know, and those people were willing to do _anything_ to tie up loose ends. Catherine knew the risks, but she wanted to help protect me anyway. No offense, but Catherine had no intention of ever having you find out about me—at least…not until the threats have been eliminated. But…since plans changed, Catherine decided to scheme a phony break-up session because she wanted to ensure your safety. The less you knew about me, the better. If anything, your sister was protecting you by keeping me a secret." Vincent said as he tried to reassure Heather that Catherine was not the enemy.

"That sounds like her…" Heather chuckled lightly. "She was always one for people projects. I think that's one of the reasons she became a cop—that, and well, the obvious reason…" Heather's voice faded. She walked over to the left of her sister's bed, and touched Catherine's arm. "She has the biggest heart I know."

"You're not the only one who thinks that." Vincent replied with a smile as he sat back down, and placed his hand over Catherine's. "Honestly, Heather, without Catherine…I don't know where I'd be today….somewhere dark, I'm sure."

"Vincent…can I ask you something?" Heather asked as she bore into Vincent's eyes, searching for answers. Vincent recognized the look; Catherine had the same innocent, answer-seeking eyes the day she had told him he wasn't a monster.

"What?"

"I may not be a relationship expert, but…you've known my sister for a very long time, haven't you? I mean…you've known her before you two started dating, right?"

"What makes you say that?"

"Call it a hunch. This might sound strange, but Cat has always said she felt like someone was watching over her…especially after our mom died. Tell me…was that someone you?"

Vincent pressed his lips together, wondering if it was best to come clean, or keep the truth hidden from Heather. Was she ready? Could she actually handle the truth? With Heather knowing, it would make Catherine's life a hell of a lot easier without having to have to lie to her sister… What the hell… "Yes."

Catherine can bitch at him later for it once she wakes up.

"Forgive me for prying, but…why Catherine? Of all of the young women in New York City, why choose Catherine to watch over?"

Here goes nothing….

"You know those bad people I was talking about? The ones who were after me?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, apparently, your mother, Vanessa, worked for them…, but don't worry; she was on the good side—she was the only one who actually _tried_ to help my comrades and me." Vincent replied. "However, at the time, I didn't realize Vanessa Chandler was Catherine's…and your mother. Not only that, but I had lost a few of my memories when I made it back to New York twelve years ago."

Seeing that he still hadn't answered Heather's question, he continued as he rubbed his thumb over Catherine's wrist. "Long story short…I was there…I was there when those men killed your mother, Heather."

"What?"

"I was following her killers because I knew they were part of the people who were trying to have me killed. I accidentally lost track of them, and when I found them again, it was too late. Your mother was already dead, and they were after Catherine." Vincent paused when he saw Heather gasp and cover her mouth in horror. "Without hesitation, I went after them, and I saved your sister."

"The report said the men were killed by a wild animal…that was you, wasn't it?"

These Chandler sisters were certainly something else; both of them had questions, and both of them are quick thinkers. Heather would have made a good cop in some other lifetime. "You want the truth?"

"Yes."

"Then no." Vincent lied. He thought it would be best if Heather only knew bits and pieces of the truth. She did not need to know about beasts or how he heard the sound of Catherine's heartbeat as she started to run from her Vanessa's killers; that subject would be a conversation saved for a different time—one that involved Catherine in the picture. "I mean, I did kill them, but I wasn't some…wild animal, as you put it, who had ripped them apart limb by limb. Since I was still in hiding back then, I couldn't afford for your sister to see my face, so I left as soon as I had killed them. However, I stayed in the shadows to make sure no one else would chase after her. When I heard sirens, I fled. It's possible that a wild animal could have ripped them to shreds after I had left—and maybe that's what Catherine saw—but I honestly have no idea who or _what_ ripped them apart."

"Oh. Right, I guess it would be impossible for someone to rip two men into pieces in the blink of an eye." Based on the increasing speed of Heather's heartbeat, he could tell she was embarrassed.

"Just a bit," Vincent raised his hand and pinched his fingers together. "Listen, I'd love to stay and chat, but I seriously need to get something from the food court if I'm going to withstand the next twenty-four hours in this godforsaken place. I'll catch you later."

"Oh. Okay."

"Watch over her for me." Vincent waved, hearing Heather mutter, "I will," in the background. He couldn't blame Heather for being curious, but sometimes it was best to leave things unsaid for the greater good. He spent about forty-five minutes in the food court with fifteen minutes of eating and about thirty minutes of speaking with a few former colleagues of his.

When he had returned to Catherine's bedside, Heather was gone, but he found a note placed over Catherine's lap. He picked it up, and read it to himself.

_**Vincent, **_

_**Thanks for the chat, and I'm super sorry for being an ass last year. I had to check into my hotel before every hotel in New York City gets booked by the time I arrive. I know you and my sister are perfect for one another, and I hope, after Cat wakes up, that you two will decide on getting married. I honestly cannot see my sister marrying any other man than yourself. **_

_**Well, this gal should probably get going. By the time you read this, I hope you have supplied yourself with enough food from the food court! **_

_**Ciao! **_

_**~HC (**__**ᵔᴥᵔ**__**)**_

_**P.S. Take Care of my sister for me…I'll come by to visit her sometime tomorrow. **_

Vincent folded up the letter & shoved it into his pocket before sitting back into the chair next to Catherine's bed. He laced his fingers with Catherine's and kissed the back of her hand. Suddenly, he felt an unwanted presence standing behind him. "I thought I told you to stay away from here."

"Relax, Vincent. I did not come here to start a fight or talk to Catherine. I simply came over here because I accidentally left my briefcase beside the counter." Gabe replied as he started to walk towards Catherine's bed.

"You stay right where you are." Vincent growled as he stood up and walked around Catherine's bed to fetch Gabe's briefcase. He picked it up, walked back around Catherine's bed and shoved it into Gabe's chest. "Look, I don't know what kind of game you're playing, but if I catch you around here again, I swear I will make your life a living hell."

"You know, if you keep threatening me, I might just have to file a restraining order. I wonder how that will look on your rap sheet."

"Screw you, Gabe." Vincent flashed his golden eyes.

"Funny," Gabe chuckled. "That used to be Catherine's job."

Vincent growled and flared his golden eyes once more. Oh how much he wanted to break the suspended ADA's neck or throw him out the window. Oh he was tempted, but then he thought about Catherine and the last time he tried to kill someone who had wronged him. After taking in a deep breath, Vincent glared at Gabe and said, "I'm going to forego that comment because I know where Catherine's heart truly lies. However, it doesn't mean I'm not going to do _this_." In an instant, Vincent rammed his fist into Gabe's gut. Gabe doubled over, gripping his stomach in pain.

Before Vincent could land another punch, he heard Doctor Parkington clearing his throat, causing him to restrain himself and look directly at the doctor. "Do we have a problem gentlemen?"

"Nope. Not anymore." Vincent replied, not wanting to cause the hospital trouble. "I was just delivering a message."

"And did the ADA—"

"—_Suspended_ ADA—" Vincent coughed.

"—_suspended _ADA receive your message?"

"I heard it loud and clear." Gabe coughed as he pushed himself back to his feet. He wiped blood off of his mouth, picked up his briefcase and added, "I'll be on my way." After he left the hospital room, Vincent inhaled a deep breath before sitting back down in his chair.

"That was a risky move, Mr. Keller. If I catch you tossing a punch or any other form of violence toward anybody again, I will have you escorted out of this hospital immediately and without hesitation." Dr. Parkington stated discreetly. "You won't have to worry about Lowan anymore; I'll be sure to let security know not to let him into the hospital again."

"Thank you." Vincent nodded before adding, "and…understood."

"Good." Dr. Parkington replied. "I'll come back later to check on Catherine…as far as I can tell right now, her numbers are good and she seems stable."

"I'll let you know if something happens." Vincent stated as the doctor walked out of the room. When the doctor was out of sight, Vincent sighed. If Dr. Parkington had arrived any sooner, he would have noticed Vincent's animalistic qualities, and that would not have gone well. "That was certainly a close one," Vincent muttered to Catherine as he squeezed her hands. "At least we won't have to worry about Gabe anymore."

He kissed her fingers and pressed his forehead against her stomach, hoping and praying Catherine would wake up soon. "Whenever you wake up, baby, I'll be right here waiting for you. Even if it takes ten years for you to open your eyes, I'll be right here, Catherine. I'll be waiting right here for you."

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

_Catherine lifted her head up and stared into darkness. It was hopeless…there was no way to find her way back to Vincent. None that she could find anyway. Once more, she heard his voice penetrating her thoughts, and she desperately wanted to return to him. She called out his name in anguish; praying that somehow her attempts to reach out would reach him. They had to reach him; she needed him to know that she's doing everything she can to find her way back to him. _

_Suddenly another memory stretched across the sky of her mind, and her heart sank when she saw how happy she was with Vincent. For however long she was surrounded by darkness, more and more memories resurfaced—even memories she had forced herself to forget a long time ago. She saw dark memories of the times she was with her ex-boyfriends. She saw memories of pain when images of Vincent and Alex popped into the depths of her mind. This memory, however, did not make her scream in pain or heartache; it was a memory that had left her mind many years ago—one she had never even cared to remember it since it was the first time someone had tried to kill her. _

_**Catherine walked up the basement stairs after hearing the sound of breaking glass coming from the main level of the house. Knowing her parents weren't home, her heart had leapt from her chest, worried that someone had broken into their home. She cautiously opened the basement door, and a plume of thick, dark smoke filled her lungs and burned her eyes. Quickly, she closed the door, locked it and ran back down the basement steps to grab her phone as the smoke started to make her cough. As the smoke began to fill up the basement, Catherine's cough worsened. She squinted her eyes, and dialed for her mother, but she didn't answer. Next, she tried her father; thankfully, he answered his work phone. "What is it, Catherine?" **_

"_**The house is on fire!" Catherine screamed into her phone, as it was getting harder to breathe. **_

"_**What?!" **_

"_**Daddy, the house is on fire!" **_

"_**Oh my! W-where are you?!" **_

"_**The basement; it's…" she paused as her lungs forced her to cough, "…getting harder to breathe." **_

"_**Can you escape through the cellar door?" **_

_**Catherine raced up to the cellar doors and tried to kick them open. "They're locked!" she yelled into her phone. **_

"_**All right; I'm leaving the office now. I'll call 911; you focus on getting out of the house." Her father said, but she didn't hear him; she was too busy coughing and struggling to breathe. As she covered her mouth, she dropped her phone and slowly walked to the closet. Suddenly, as she heard the one of the windows shatter, she turned around, and in seconds, the basement was set ablaze. The immediate growth of flames caused Catherine to fall backwards, landing on several small shards of glass and losing consciousness. **_

_To Catherine's surprise, the memory morphed into someone else's memory. "What am I looking at?" Catherine asked, noticing Vincent sitting next to her. _

"_My memory." Vincent replied subtly. _

"_Your memory?" _

"_Yes." Vincent nodded. "Catherine, whether you believe it or not, you and I are more connected than you might have realized. While my present and real self does not remember this moment just as you have blocked it out of your mind, I was also there that day your home burnt down." _

"_You were what?" _

"_Just watch, okay?" _

"_Okay…" Catherine nodded and she watched the memory come to life. _

_**The sound of sirens spiraled around the neighborhood as scorching flames engulfed the Chandler residence. Thomas, Vanessa and Heather Chandler were struggling against policemen to run inside as they watched their home burn with fire. "MY DAUGHTER IS IN THERE!" Thomas yelled at the policeman. **_

"_**The FDNY have men inside the building, Mr. Chandler. If they find your daughter, they will bring her out, but the chances of finding her alive are slim." **_

_**Suddenly, three firemen came out of the building, and shook their heads, indicating that they couldn't either find Catherine or get to her in time. Vanessa and Heather fell to their knees as Thomas tried to push his way through the policemen holding them back. "LET ME GO! I NEED TO SAVE MY BABY!" **_

"_**We're sorry, Mr. Chandler; the building is about to collapse; we cannot risk the lives of our men any longer. All we can do now is take out the fire with water, and hope your daughter found a way to escape the flames." The FDNY chief said, frowning at the scene. "I really do hope your daughter is all right." **_

"_**COWARDS!" Vanessa screamed. "YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO RISK YOUR LIVES! SHE'S ONLY 15! SHE'S JUST A BABY! CATHERINE!" Vanessa stood to her feet. As she was about to race towards her home, she stopped in her tracks when she saw a teen, no older than 16 or 17, push his way inside the house without any fire gear on to protect him. **_

"_**Dammit!" the chief cursed. "That boy is going to get himself killed one of these days!" "Dan! Mike!" **_

"_**Yes, Father?" two firefighters said as they raced over to the chief. **_

"_**Your brother went inside the building without any gear on him; get your asses in there and pull his out before he gets himself killed!" **_

"_**Let him handle it, Father. He may be a dumbass, but you and I both know he has not failed us yet when it came to his damned pigheadedness." One of the brothers replied. **_

"_**You know your mother will kill me if anything happens to him." The chief replied. **_

"_**Tell you what, if he isn't out in five minutes, we'll go in and save his ass." The other brother replied. **_

"_**And don't worry, Dad. Once this is over, I'll have a talk with him." Said the other. **_

"_**You two better be damned right about this!" the chief spat before the brothers left to gear up in case they were needed. **_

"_**I swear; I'm going to send that boy to military school if he doesn't learn to stay put when I tell him to!" the chief mumbled before ordering several of his men to strengthen the water power. **_

_Catherine blinked. If the FDNY chief was the father of two brothers named Mike and Dan, she could only guess who the other teen was. Suddenly, the memory transitioned into the burning building with the teen shouting her name. He must have heard it when her mother had screamed her name earlier. _

"_**CATHERINE!" the teen yelled as he pushed his way through the flames. "I'M HERE TO HELP!" **_

_**He pulled off his shirt, and covered his mouth while he searched for the basement door. The teenaged boy found the stairs and slowly made his way towards the door behind the steps. Burning pillars of wood leaned against the door, causing him to kick his way through. As he kicked the pillars with his foot, they snapped in half and fell to the ground. Quickly, he used his shirt to turn the knob and flew down the steps the moment he forced the door open. **_

"_**CATHERINE!" he shouted, hoping his voice would pierce through the flickering sounds of the flames. He recovered his mouth with his shirt, and saw a bookcase laying on the floor. Noticing how uneven it was, he spotted a limp, burnt hand sticking out of the bookcase. Acting quickly, he used all of his strength to lift the bookcase and throw it to his side. He sighed when he saw an unconscious teenage girl lying on her stomach. He turned her over, placed his ear against her lips, and held his breath when he couldn't hear hers. He didn't have time to give her any chest compressions, not with the entire building about to fall on top of them. Noticing the broken window, he wrapped his shirt around his wrist and knocked the rest of the glass off of the window before carefully picking Catherine up into his arms, and sliding her tiny body through the window. Once she was safely outside, he hoisted himself upward to climb out of the window himself. However, just as he was about to pull himself through the window, one of the beams from the basement ceiling popped downward and slammed into his shoulder, driving a long, burning-hot nail into his shoulder blade. **_

_**The teen screamed in agony, and gritted his teeth as he placed all of his weight onto his feet as he stood on the counter underneath him before he gripped the wooden beam with both of his hands, and shoved the beam upwards, forcing the nail to rise up with it. He tossed the beam overhead while using as much adrenaline as he could manage, and pulled himself out of the basement with what strength he had left. **_

_**As he picked Catherine up and carried her as far away from the burning building as he could, he called for help. He knew he couldn't help her on his own; blood was pooling out of his shoulder faster than he would like to admit. "OVER HERE!" he yelled, but no one seemed to have heard him. Acting quickly, he placed his ear above her mouth again, and still couldn't hear any breathing. Biting back the pain, he pressed palms against her chest, and gave her twenty chest compressions before placing his ear back against her lips. **_

"_**Come on…" he begged her, "Don't die on me." **_

_**When he still couldn't hear her breathing, he pushed against her chest again, praying she would come to. Suddenly, by the thirteenth chest compression, she lurched forward and gasped for air, knocking him down in the process. "Thank God!" he exclaimed as he gave her room to breathe. "Take in deep breaths, okay?" **_

_**She nodded. **_

"_**I'll be right back," the teen said. "I'm going to go fetch some people who can help you. Stay right here and don't move, yeah?" **_

_**Catherine once again nodded as the young man disappeared. He ran to his father, told him he had found Catherine and managed to get her out. Despite his father's judgment, the five minutes he was going to give his son turned into ten because something told him to leave things be. Gratefully, he was right. The teen led his father, his brothers, a few policemen, a medical team and the Chandlers to where he left Catherine. The medical team lifted her onto a stretcher, and his father forced him to go to the hospital as well considering his shoulder wound wouldn't stop bleeding. **_

_The memory faded into nothing, and Catherine gasped. "That boy…the one who saved me from the fire…it was you!" _

"_Yes." Vincent replied with a nod. "Like I said, we have deeper roots than both of us could ever imagine." _

"_Why didn't I ever see you again after that moment?" _

"_I think…I think that's something you'll need to ask the real Vincent once you have woken up, yeah?" _

"_Bu—" she cut herself off when she couldn't sense his presence anymore; he had disappeared from her once again. What is going on? She didn't like any of this at all. All she wanted to do was find her way back to Vincent. She had to; he was her only reason for living. _

_Suddenly, for the first time, she realized something. Vincent had always been there for her—even before he was turned into a beast. Even though they didn't remember their very first encounter, Vincent saved her like he has saved her a billion times afterwards. All of a sudden, everything Robert Reynolds had told her from before flooded back into her mind: Felisians, because of something called an atavism, Vincent is the first pure-blooded Felisian to have surfaced in thousands of years, Rebecca Reynolds is her Great Great Grandmother, Jonathan—an artificially created beast-is her Great Great Grandfather, Robert believes she and Vincent's fate were entwined due to some blood-based serum her mother had created, she is predisposed, Vincent is attracted to her because she's like a walking beast pheromone…she has a change of getting Schizophrenia like her Great Great Grandmother before her. _

"_No, that can't be." Catherine shook her head as she spoke to herself. "Vincent and I aren't tied together due to some sort of fated event. Even __**if**__ I am predisposed, it cannot be the reason Vincent is attracted to me, can it?" She stood up and paced around as she tried to make sense of everything. Okay, so what if Vincent is attracted to me because I'm predisposed…there could be other women who are predisposed so why not them? Why me?" Then she remembered the fact that Vincent had saved here BEFORE he was injected with her mother's special serum. "And...Vincent saving me before he became a beast proves we are meant to be, but it doesn't have to prove that we are tied together due to some history loop crap or that his beast serum forces him to save me…. No. I have to believe that Vincent's desire to save me is only amplified by the serum my mother created. The fact that mother created the serum at random proves Vincent and I are star destined, doesn't it? I refuse to believe I am like my great great grandmother. I am Catherine Chandler…daughter of Thomas and Vanessa Chandler…and I don't give a damn how similar I am with Rebecca Reynolds. I make my own decisions and there's nothing some historical event can do or say about it. Yes, Vincent and I are meant to be, but that's because we choose to be together not because some external force is making us be together." _

_Suddenly, the darkness immediately evaporated, and everything transformed into a bright light, causing her to wince as the instant light penetrated her pupils. She saw Vincent standing in the distance with his hand extended outward as if he was waiting to greet her. "Vincent," she whispered. _

"_Come with me," he smiled, his voice soothing her ears. _

_Without a word, she anxiously ran towards him. _

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

Vincent sat in silence as he watched Dr. Parkington and his nurses remove Catherine's ventilator. She's breathing on her own, and therefore there is no need for a device to help her breathe.

"We'll be back shortly to replace her IV bag." Dr. Parkington said as he left the room with his nurses in tow. Vincent watched Catherine sleep peacefully. If it weren't for the monitors and the feeding tube inside her mouth, she would appear as a Sleeping Beauty awaiting for true love's kiss. It's a shame they didn't live within a fairytale or she would have been awake by now considering the numerous amount of kisses he plans on giving her the moment she wakes up and the doctors remove the feeding tube from her mouth.

"No matter how long it takes you to wake up, Catherine, whatever you do, don't you dare die on me." Vincent muttered before placing kisses along her arm. "Don't you even think about leaving me alone in this world, Catherine Chandler." As Vincent spoke those words, a memory he had long forgotten resurfaced, making him realize he had met the woman before him once before—before all of the beast crap. The memory made him begin to wonder just how much he and Catherine were destined to be together. Even if he was not injected with the beast serum, would he and Catherine still have met years later and fall in love? He had to believe so. Fate has a funny way of bringing people together, and he had to believe Catherine is his one and only soul mate. They were destined to meet, and they did several years before he had saved her from her mother's killers.

"After all of this is over, Catherine, I think it's safe to say I have to leave New York City—at least for a while. I can't afford to be arrested again if evidence ever starts to pile up against me. I was thinking I could hide somewhere in the Catskills where the location is close to home if ever needed, but secluded enough where Gabe wouldn't be able to find me. When I leave, I want you to come with me, Catherine. When you wake up, please say you will? You may have defined your life where you do not need to depend on me for living, but Catherine, _you_ are my definition for living. Maybe if I was a normal guy, yeah—I'd probably find a way to move on if something were to ever happen to you. But, you and I both know how un-normal I am. With you gone, I wouldn't even think about continuing to live. Why should I when my world is wouldn't exist anymore?" He leaned down and kissed her cheek before continuing, "So I'm asking you now, and I'll ask you again every day for the rest of our lives until you say Yes…" he slid off of the chair and knelt down as he squeezed his beloved's hand inside of his, "Catherine Elizabeth Chandler, will you marry me?"

When all he heard were her slow, but steady breaths, a tear left his cheek. "If you choose not to marry me at this point—that is, when you do actually answer—at least consider being with me for as long as eternity. I love you, and there is not a single soul in the world I would rather spend the rest of my life with than with you."

When she didn't answer him, he scooted back into his chair and collapsed his head onto her legs. He was at a loss… Even with a medical background, he couldn't seem to be able to bring the woman he loved back to her normal self. "What am I supposed to do, Catherine? I need you here with me; you are my rock and I need you to find your way back to me, baby. Please…Find your way back." Vincent felt several tears sliding down his face, and dripping off his nose before hitting the sheet below his face. How much was she going to hold on before she lets go, and he loses her forever?

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

Hours passed, and Vincent had fallen asleep while crying his heart out for Catherine. As he slept soundly on her legs, he never heard JT, Tess or Heather walk in to visit Catherine. When each of them found him passed out with dried tears stained to his face, they could barely hold it together—especially JT. He had been with Vincent through thick and thin, and not once, had he ever seen the man cry so hard except for the time his brothers had died on 9/11. Seeing the tears stained on his best friend's face could only mean one thing—he had given up hope.

"We've gotta do something about him." JT whispered to Tess as they stood in the hallway. "He's a wreck, and if Cat doesn't wake up, I fear it would only get worse."

"What can we do, though?" Tess asked. "He's practically glued to Catherine's legs."

"I know, but with Catherine like this, I don't see this ending well for V either. After his brothers died, he spiraled into darkness. He started taking drugs to escape the pain he was feeling, and when that didn't seem enough, he decided to take revenge on Al-Qaeda by joining the army. And then the whole beast thing happen. I know we shouldn't move him, but we need to do _something_ because if V spirals down a dark path again, I fear he will do something even more drastic than the time before."

"Like what? Kill himself?"

"If Catherine were to die, then yes." JT nodded gravely. "Which is why we need to get him out of there for a while…help him take a break from all of this sadness."

"I get that you're concerned for him, JT, but what do you think this 'break' will accomplish? If he's away from her—even while she is in this coma—he could be even more prone to do something rash. I think we should let him be for the time being. Who knows, maybe something good will come out of this somewhere down the road."

"I hope you're right," JT mumbled before he headed back into Catherine's hospital room. As Tess followed him inside, they stopped dead in their tracks, mouths agape.

"Go get the doctor." Tess ordered JT, and he immediately left to find Dr. Parkington. Tess raced to Vincent, and shook him awake. Vincent's eyes shot open, and he sat up, wondering what the hell was going on.

Before he turned around to ask her what her big deal was, his heart dropped down to the floor when he saw Catherine's eyes lazily open and glossed with confusion. Just as Vincent was about to race to grab the doctor, Dr. Parkington rushed into the room with a team of nurses. He urged everyone to leave the room for the time being to assess Catherine's mental status as well as her confusion rate. However, despite Dr. Parkington's efforts, Vincent refused to leave the room. While Dr. Parkington was assessing Catherine, Heather showed up after Tess had called her to get to the hospital as quickly as possible. He watched as the medical team checked Catherine's pulse, flashed light into her eyes, check her temperature and remove her feeding tube once they determined she was fully and widely awake from her coma.

Oh how much he wanted to wrap his arms around her and feather kisses all over her face, but he knew the hospital procedure, and didn't want to jeopardize Catherine's mental condition by possibly bringing upon even more confusion. "Do you know where you are?" Dr. Parkington asked Catherine as he started to slowly interrogate her.

Catherine shook her head.

"You are at New York General. Do you know your name and date of birth?"

"Catherine Elizabeth Chandler; date of birth: September 4th, 1984."

"Very good, Miss Chandler. Do you know why you are here?"

"Car accident…"

"Excellent. How much do you remember from your accident?"

"Some of it…other parts are blurry."

"That's a good answer considering what you've been through."

"What I've been through?" Catherine raised her eyebrow.

"You've been in a coma for three days, Miss Chandler. It would seem your memory, well most of your memory, is still intact, but to be sure, I would like you to look over to that window to your right. Do you recognize the three people standing there?"

Catherine stared at them, and nodded. "The one on the far right is my younger sister, Heather. The one in the middle is my best friend, Tess. And that's JT."

"Excellent. Very excellent. What about the young man standing at the foot of your bed?" Dr. Parkington asked as he pointed to Vincent.

Catherine scanned the room, and the moment her eyes connected with his, she smiled, wrinkling her nose in the process. "Vincent."

Dr. Parkington nodded, and backed up from Catherine's bed. "Her memory seems to be unaffected from her coma; I'll come back in an hour to give a further analysis, but for now, I leave her in your hands, Mr. Keller." With that, the doctor and his nurses left the hospital room to attend to other patients. In seconds, Vincent was at Catherine's side, not being able to refrain himself from showering her lips with kisses.

Catherine weakly wrapped her arms around Vincent's neck to keep him from leaving her lips; she didn't care that her sister, best friend and JT were staring at them as she melted into her lover's lips. She had lied to her doctor when she told him she remembered bits and pieces of her accident; in fact, she remembered every single detail of it—not to mention the bizarre comatose dream she had before opening her eyes. That certainly was going to be on the list of things to tell Vincent once she gets out of the hospital.

As the couple continued to kiss, Tess sighed, "Let's leave them be; it's obvious they don't intend on separating anytime soon. Let's go grab some dinner; maybe by then, their lips will be too raw to continue kissing, and then we can have some of our own Cat time."

"Good idea." JT nodded.

"Can I tag along?" Heather asked, unsure if she would be like some sort of third wheel during this outing.

"Sure." Tess smiled. "The more the merrier."

"Great!" Heather exclaimed. "I'm famished."

"I think we all are." JT chuckled; even V and C are famished…but food is not exactly what they're hungry for if you know what I mean."

Tess rolled her eyes, and Heather laughed. "We can joke about their sex life later; let's just give the two some privacy right now." Tess stated as she walked towards the elevator, pulling JT and Heather in tow.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

"You have no idea how glad I am now that you're awake." Vincent mumbled against Catherine's mouth before nipping at her bottom lip, and gently pulling it downwards.

"I can only imagine." Catherine smiled.

"How are you holding up?" Vincent asked, "Usually, coma patients are never the same as they once were after waking up."

"A little strange…" Catherine replied as she took his hands into hers and stared at them. "You know…it felt like an eternity there…"

"Where?"

"In the back of my mind…. Or wherever the coma sent me while I was unconscious." Catherine replied.

"So you remember?"

"Yeah…I do." Catherine mumbled before pulling Vincent in for another kiss.

"Care to share?"

Catherine's nose started to burn as she remembered everything she had gone through while inside the depths of her mind. "For the longest time, I was alone…. My mind played tricks on me, Vincent. If it weren't for what Robert had said to me…"

"What did he say?"

"I'll tell you most of it later when we're out of Hospital ears, but he told me that Schizophrenia runs in our family. My great great grandmother and grandfather both had it, and Robert's sister has it as well. He said there was only a matter of time before either one of us starts to have Schizophrenic episodes. In the back of my mind, I had dreamt that I _did_ have Schizophrenia, and everything you and I ever shared was all a lie. And for a time, I believed it, Vincent. If I am so weak to believe in a lie inside my mind, what's that to say about our relationship?"

"You were vulnerable, Catherine. Inside your mind or not, you were vulnerable, and your mind allowed your father's words to get to you."

"That may be so, but despite everything I went through, there _was _one thing I discovered while being under."

"And what's that?" Vincent asked as he ran his fingers through her brown locks.

"I discovered what my life could have been like if I had ever woken up to find out this," she kisses his fingers, "…us…was only a dream. I hated that, and it nearly destroyed me. I can't…" she paused as tears started to well up in her eyes, "You know I love you…and I can't fathom a life…or any life…without you in it, Vincent. And I don't ever want to live with any regrets." She cupped his face, and lightly kissed his lips. "Vincent?"

"Hm?" he asked, dazed from her spell to enchant him body, mind and soul.

She gazed into his eyes as if she was seeking for answers. "Will you marry me?"

Vincent's eyes widened with joy, and in seconds, he kissed her hard on the mouth. "I thought you'd never ask." Vincent smirked before pulling her into his arms again and brushing his lips across her own. The love of his life has returned from her deep slumber, but their story is not over yet.

No…there is so much more of their story to tell, but for now, he was going to forget about the what-ifs, and focus on the woman before him because she was what mattered most to him.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

* * *

**WriterFreak001: **

Wow…that was certainly quite a doozy. But YAAAAY! Catherine is awake. :) Now what could happen next? This story has still a bit of ways to go! ^_^

Please review! :D


	9. Chapter 9

**WriterFreak001: **

So…in case you did not hear, BATB S3 will not return until 2015. Don't have a heart attack just yet, because the numbers for any CW series have not been announced. That being said, BATB S3 could still have a full order of 22 seasons and run through to the summer.

There are a few things that come out of this decision…

One) The writing team has time to plan, and write a very good season.  
Two) The Beasties have a long time to recruit more fans! :D  
Three) BATB IS NOT CANCELED SO WE CAN REJOICE IN THAT!

That being said, I have confidence that BATB will have 22 episodes, and will run through to the summer of 2016 because of what CEO Mark Pedowitz said in an interview:

"Shows like BATB have a great upside potential for our audience." ~ MP, citing social media & international.

MP really stood up for BATB at the upfronts; if some of you were wondering why JR and KK were not there, it is most likely because of the toxic press that was there. The press verbally attacked MP at the upfronts because of his decision to keep BATB. From what I've heard, it was horrifying, but MP stood strong and gave satisfying answers—even if the press did not like them.

ANYWAYYYY, here's the good stuff now :)

* * *

**Title** | Reality

**Fandom** | _Beauty and the Beast (CW)_

**Description** | Catherine learns some heavy duty information from her father, Agent Reynolds when she visits him in the cell regarding Vincent's recent arrest. One thing leads to another, eventually causing Catherine to wake up in a hospital while shouting Vincent Keller's name. Gradually, she is convinced that everything she has learned about beasts was all made-believe to help her cope with her mother's death. Will Catherine buy into the story the doctors are telling her? Or, will she see past their deception and find a way back to reality? If you want to find out, continue reading!

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be from now on be rated M for language, sexual themes and anything else M-rated I might throw in it. If anything, read at your own discretion.

**POV** | Third Person Omniscient

**Disclaimer** | While CW owns _**Beauty & the Beast**_, I am the owner of this Masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something should be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

**EXTRA NOTE** | THIS FANFICTION HAS BEEN CHANGED TO 'M' RATING! READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!

* * *

**Reality**

**Chapter 9**

**Written by: WriterFreak001**

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

Three weeks have passed since Catherine came out of her coma, and she was finally released to go home. Her injuries are still healing, but for now, all she needs to do is rest up and take the next few weeks of her life very easily. However, Doctor Parkington had ordered a follow-up appointment for every week until her head completely heals to ensure she wouldn't relapse back into her coma.

"It feels great to be out and about again," Catherine smiled as she stepped out onto her fire escape, "I was afraid I would never get out of there."

"Just be careful, Catherine," Vincent replied after sitting down next to her and wrapping his arm around her waist. "The more strenuous activity you do, the more likely you'll end up back at the hospital and we would have to go through this entire ordeal again."

"Trust me, Vincent; I'll be extra careful from now on. Believe me when I say this, I do not want to go back into a coma again. It was too dark, and lonely…. I never want to feel like that ever again." Catherine leaned into Vincent's warmth. "But…it kind of put me into perspective…."

"What do you mean?"

"Well…even though my loneliness was only a mental thing…, and that it only lasted for a short amount of time…I can't even imagine what you went through when you were in hiding for nine years." Catherine linked her pinky finger with Vincent's. "It must have been horribly lonely."

"It wasn't all that bad." Vincent shrugged. "I had JT to keep me company…and I also had you, Catherine. Even though we weren't a couple or anything back then, checking up on you periodically was the highlight of my year. You were always so happy on your birthdays, and to see you smiling made living in hiding a lot easier."

"I'm glad I could help." Catherine grinned before leaning in to give her fiancé a kiss. "However, you never stayed after the parties, did you?"

"No…I didn't want to chance getting caught by any of your friends. Why? Did anything happen after your parties?" Vincent ran his fingers through her hair as he kissed her forehead.

"Well…I was truly happy when with my friends, and was glad to know they cared enough to make a simple birthday matter. However, when they all left, it constantly reminded me how empty I felt when they weren't there for me. Yes, I dated some bad guys…, but to be honest, no one—not even Gabe—has ever been able to fill that emptiness aside from you, Vincent. I think…I think that's what my comatose vision…or whatever I should call it…was trying to tell me." Catherine smiled as she cupped Vincent's face and stared into his beautiful brown eyes, "You complete me, Vincent. And…if I went on not marrying you, I'd be living a lie because you," her nose started to burn as tears began to fall, "you are what makes me, me."

"And you," Vincent whispers as he pulls out something from his pocket, "are," he opens the object and reveals a beautiful diamond ring, "the definition," and slides the ring on her finger, "of my being, Catherine. I cannot see my future without you in it."

"And nor I, you." Catherine replied.

Vincent caressed her left cheek and wiped his thumb across her bottom lip as his other hand weaved into her dark brown locks, splaying across the back of her head. Slowly, he covered her mouth with his own, and relished in everything that is Catherine. "I love you," he mumbled against her lips as he combed his fingers through her hair.

"I love you too." Catherine uttered under her breath. Vincent leaned his forehead against hers and closed his eyes as he inhaled her scent. He could smell her arousal, and as enticing as it was, he knew it was too soon for her to be engaging in sexual activity—especially with someone as _active_ as him. "Come to bed with me," she begged him in a hushed whisper.

"I wish I could," Vincent mumbled only for her ears. "But you and I both know your body isn't fully healed yet. Maybe if I was a normal guy, things would be all right, but considering _what_ I am, I don't think it's a good idea."

"Then just stay by my side," Catherine pleaded softly.

"All right," Vincent nodded, "That—I can do." How could he refuse such a desperate plea? He picked her up into his arms, and carried her through her fire escape window before placing her on the bed. He walked back over to the window, shut it, locked it and made his way back over to her. "How are you feeling physically, Catherine? Sore anywhere?"

"A little bit…but nothing a nice, hot bath couldn't cure." Catherine replied, her lips curling to a seductive smile.

"Oh no. No-no-no-no-no. I see what you're trying to do, and if you think I'm weak enough to give in to your arousal, you've got another thing coming, Miss Chandler." Vincent backed away.

Catherine frowned. "The doctor said no strenuous sexual activity for another few weeks—he said nothing about bathing together."

"Last I checked," Vincent chuckled, "Every time you and I have bathed together, we normally end up very wet and naked on the bed afterwards. I'm sorry, love, but it's almost too tempting." Vincent walked back over to her, sat next to her on the bed and gently pinched her chin between his thumb and forefinger before turning her head to look at him. "Believe me, it's not because I don't want to, Catherine, because you and I both know I really do, but…_every _intimate thing we do is _very _strenuous. If something happens and you either relapse into your coma or hurt yourself because of your still-healing injuries, I wouldn't be able to bear that weight over my shoulders. It's too risky."

"What if…" Catherine bit her lip, wondering if _it_ was the best thing to mention at the time, "What if we do things a bit differently."

"What do you mean?" Vincent asked as he raised an eyebrow. "Nothing kinky, I hope."

Catherine rolled her eyes. "Well," she blushed, "before my accident, my father told me some things about my heritage, Vincent."

"The Schizophrenia?" Vincent questioned, "Catherine, I've already told you, whatever happens, we'll—"

"No, Vincent," Catherine shook her head, "It's not that."

"There's more?"

"_Oh_ yeah," Catherine nodded. "There's tons more."

"What all did he say to you?" Vincent asked as he laced his fingers with hers. She brought their hands to her lips and she kissed his fingers.

"Well...," Catherine began, gaining Vincent's undivided attention, "How much do you know about Felisians?"

"Never heard of them." Vincent replied.

"Okay…" Catherine paused, trying to think of the best way to approach the subject. "Vincent, you remember those bones we found in Windsor's warehouse?"

"What about them?"

"Those bones are remnants of a pure Felisian that was founded in a cave roughly thirty years ago. After Cambridge auctioned it off, it eventually came into Windsor's hands, and that's how he managed to turn himself into a beast. I'm guessing he had Tori injected when he had that tracker put into her arm; anyway, that's not what's important. Vincent, Curt Windsor's grandfather worked for Hitler, and he helped with beast experiments during World War II."

"Are you telling me all of this goes as far back as Nazi, Germany?!" Vincent's eyes widened. He definitely did not expect that bit of information.

"No. Much farther." Catherine said. "You see…Felisians, as my father put it, were known as a superior race that dominated Britannica over a thousand years ago. Something wiped them out, however. Anyway, Hitler found out about these Felisians, and because he had so many failed trials of trying to create the Aryan race, he decided to change his tactics and work on creating Felisians instead. I don't know all of the details of how Hitler obtained properties of a Felisian, but he had three scientists work on creating them—they were successful."

"Woah…Okay, I can see where this is going. A Felisian is a fancy term for what Muirfield turned me into, yeah?"

"Yes."

"Who would have thought World War II Nazis were almost all beasts." Vincent stated as he tried to wrap his head around this new information. "And they still lost?"

"Don't look at me," Catherine shrugged, "I'm just the messenger."

"Touché." Vincent replied. "I'm guessing there's more?"

"Yeah." Catherine nodded. "I've barely scratched the surface."

"Wow." Vincent mumbled. "How about we take a break from story-time, and as I wrap my head around all of this, you go and take a bath."

"I would much rather have you join me," Catherine whispered before kissing his scruffy jawline. "Please?"

Vincent sighed and scratched the back of his neck, "I'm such a horrible doctor."

"No you're not," Catherine laughed as she stood up and led him to the bathroom. "A doctor is supposed to tend to the patients' needs. I _need_ a bath, and _you_ are the only one with capable hands." She winked. "Besides, how else am I supposed to clean my back? Like you said, I'm still recovering from my accident. What if my ribs are still healing, and all it takes is a twist to clean my back in order to snap them again?"

Catherine _did_ have a point. Vincent sighed again. Women and their loopholes. "Well, if we're going to bathe together, we better start stripping before I change my mind."

"Don't have to tell me twice," Catherine laughed.

Vincent knew fully well that if her ribs were still fractured, it would hurt like hell to laugh. However, that was obviously not the case for the conniving wench. In fact, other than her head, almost everything she endured is practically healed. But as a former doctor, he would be irresponsible for giving in to his sexual desires, and yet, here Catherine was, trying as many ways as possible to lure him into her devil's trap. "You have no idea what you do to me." Vincent muttered as he pulled off the last of his clothing and turned on the water.

As Catherine tried to take off her bra, Vincent shook his head, "You're ribs _might_ still be fractured, _remember_? Perhaps, it's best if _I_ assist." One could play this game too.

"If you insist." Catherine shrugged, turning around so Vincent could unlatch her bra. He slid the material down her arms, and flung it away from them before slipping his fingers under the elastic band of her panties. As he slowly glided her underwear downwards, he stared into her eyes, and could sense her heightened arousal. Who said they had to have sex to fulfil their carnal desires? When Catherine stepped out of her underwear, Vincent took a moment to take in the beautiful sight before him. He placed a kiss on her lower belly before standing up and kissing her hard on the mouth. "What was that for?" she asked as they stepped into the shower. "Not that I'm complaining."

"Just…a preorder for what I plan on giving you once you are cleared to," he cleared his throat, "you know."

Catherine bit her lip. "Hmm…I don't think I _do _know. I think you need to remind me again."

"You really love taunting me, don't you?" Vincent murmured before claiming her lips with his once more. Catherine weaved her fingers into his dark, wet hair as she felt his mouth trail kisses from her lips down to the base of her neck.

As Catherine lathered up Vincent's hair with her shampoo, his hands were busy elsewhere.

"It's sort of hard to concentrate when you're doing _that_." Catherine said before gesturing him to rinse off the shampoo.

"Well, I can't very well be taking a shower with my girlfriend, and not do _that_, can I?" Vincent answered innocently. "It's a given right."

"Oh?" Catherine raised her eyebrow. "So my body is your plaything now?"

"I didn't say that," Vincent chuckled. "What I meant was taking a shower with you has certain advantages. Then again, being naked with you in general has its advantages." He bent down a little so she could condition his hair while waiting for her response.

"It's a good thing I love you, Vincent, or else I might have taken offense to that." Catherine replied; "But because I know you are basically putty in my hands in moments like these, I'll forego your little 'well-played' explanation as long as you promise to reward me in bed."

"Reward you how? Because you know…"

"I know…, but that who said we couldn't enjoy each other's company in other ways?" Catherine answered, suggesting a very dirty solution.

"Good point…" Vincent replied. "You're turn." He poured shampoo on her hair and lathered up her head before placing her directly underneath the water. As soon as he milked his hands with conditioner, and combed it through her hair with his fingers, he bit his lip when he felt his girlfriend's naughty hands giving him an intimate massage as she returned the favor from his earlier ministrations. "You wicked feline." Vincent growled as his eyes glowed with fervor.

"Takes one to know one," she sensuously whispered, causing Vincent to emit a guttural sound.

"Careful or I might just go behind your doctor's back and make love to you all night long." Vincent challenged as his eyes continued to glow a golden hew. Filled with desire, he pressed his lips against hers, and gave her a hot kiss any couple would envy.

"As far as I'm concerned, you _are_ my doctor, Doctor Keller." Catherine mumbled against his lips as she teasingly jerked his middle forward.

"You have no idea how tempted I am to take you right here and now." Vincent said as he trapped her against the shower wall.

Catherine grinned. "No one's stopping you."

"Oh, hell with it." Vincent spat, not giving a damn about 'Doctor's Orders' anymore; he gave into Catherine's ploy, giving her exactly what she wanted—his everything.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

Hours passed, and the lovers eventually made their way to Catherine's bed. Not once did Catherine complain about feeling uncomfortable as they made sweet, hot love underneath her purple satin sheets.

"I'm guessing you'd want to know the rest of that story," Catherine said as she pushed Vincent onto his back and hovered over him with their bodies still conjoined. "It's a doozy, I'll tell you that right now."

"I am curious." Vincent shrugged, wrapping his arms around her bare back. "But...first…." Vincent pulled her downward until she was pressed against him. He held her close and kissed her nose as he subconsciously wrapped his strong legs around her waist to keep her from leaving him. "Now I don't have to worry about you losing your focus."

"Oh, don't worry. I know exactly where I want my focus to be." Catherine grinned devilishly as she pushed herself against him and leaned in to kiss his lips.

"That's good to know." He chuckled before kissing her again. He pulled away, and pressed his lips together, giving her a look of innocence.

"What?" Catherine's heart melted as she stared into his puppy-dog eyes.

"I know I've told you this before, Catherine, but you _are_ truly amazing. You know that, right?"

Catherine smiled. "You've told me once or twice."

"It's the truth." He replied, honestly.

"Only when I'm with you do I feel amazing." Catherine replied as she pulled him in for another kiss.

"I'll bet." Vincent smirked. "I _am_ amazing in bed, aren't I?"

Catherine laughed. "Way to ruin the moment, but if you need the confirmation, then yes. Intimacy is definitely a plus when it comes to you."

"I'm going to hold you to that, you know that, right?"

"Whatever makes you sleep at night." Catherine smiled.

"Who needs sleep when I can be with you?" Vincent leaned in to kiss her. "Anyway, with jokes aside, I believe you were just about to tell me more about _Felisians_."

"Right. _Felisians_." Catherine's mind melted into putty when she felt him push their bellies together. "What about _Felisians_ again?"

"I can see your mind is otherwise occupied." Vincent chuckled. "That's okay, though. _I'm _flattered to know I have that kind of effect on you. Now what about these _Felisians_?" He bucked his pelvis against her again, causing her eyes to roll upward in ecstasy.

"Quit teasing me!" Catherine smacked him playfully on the shoulder. "I'm trying to think!"

"I thought women were good at multitasking." Vincent sneered as he rolled against her once more. "Clearly not. But, really, I _am_ curious about what Reynolds told you." Vincent added as he continuously repeated his teasing tactics.

"He told me…he…told…me…he…" a moan escaped her lips, and everything she was trying to think of escaped her mind.

Just as she kissed him, he pulled away with her teeth lightly chewing on his bottom lip. "You really _aren't_ good at multitask—"

"—just shut up, and let me kiss you." Catherine cut him off after temporarily releasing his bottom lip before she aggressively kissed him hard on the mouth. Before long, both Beauty and Beast forget about Felisians, and focused on what was primarily more important, giving their undivided attention to one another's desires.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

* * *

**WriterFreak001: **

I know this chapter is a bit shorter than others, but I felt like this was a good place to stop. I actually had fun with this one, and not because of the sexual themes…. It was more of the playfulness between Vincent and Catherine. :) You better enjoy this chapter, because I don't believe I will have anything as detailed (and believe me, this is as detailed as I am comfortable writing) as the scene in this chapter.

Let me know if it was too cheesy.

Also, how do you think Vincent will respond once he finds out that Catherine is also predisposed? Let me know in a review! :3


	10. Chapter 10

**WriterFreak001: **

**Sorry for the late update. I had typed so much in so little time over the past week that my wrists were in a lot of pain these past few days. I thank you for your support as you wait for my updates, and I promise to update as frequent as I can, but with my carpal tunnel syndrome, I really need to slow down a bit. **

**Thank you for understanding. **

**By the way, I have started to write my own book. :) Cheers! **

**Also, thank you to those who donated to the JDRF. While I may not be diabetic, one of my very good friends was diagnosed a few years ago at 18. She also loves BATB as much as I do (she is my partner in crime with the crossover: Something Bigger –you can find that beauty under the penname "Women of Letters"), and she is very grateful for the $15,000 donations many Beasties collected for JDRF. **

**Thanks!**

* * *

**Title** | Reality

**Fandom** | _Beauty and the Beast (CW)_

**Description** | Catherine learns some heavy duty information from her father, Agent Reynolds when she visits him in the cell regarding Vincent's recent arrest. One thing leads to another, eventually causing Catherine to wake up in a hospital while shouting Vincent Keller's name. Gradually, she is convinced that everything she has learned about beasts was all made-believe to help her cope with her mother's death. Will Catherine buy into the story the doctors are telling her? Or, will she see past their deception and find a way back to reality? If you want to find out, continue reading!

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be from now on be rated M for language, sexual themes and anything else M-rated I might throw in it. If anything, read at your own discretion.

**POV** | Third Person Omniscient

**Disclaimer** | While CW owns _**Beauty & the Beast**_, I am the owner of this Masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something should be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**Reality**

**Chapter 10**

**Written by: WriterFreak001**

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

The moment the sun danced through the window and graced the Beauty's apartment with its presence, Catherine's eyes fluttered open to find her fiancé intently staring at her. "Hey," she smiled, grateful that the previous night had not been a dream. "How long have you been staring at me?"

"Not long enough," he smirked.

"Oh? Is that so?" Catherine scooted herself closer to Vincent until their bellies were barely touching. She laced her fingers with his, and leaned into him as she brushed her lips against his mouth before laying her head on top of his collarbone where her nose nuzzled against the base of his broad neck.

He turned slightly until he could see her face, and kissed her forehead. "I could watch you for a thousand years and still thirst for your beauty." Catherine giggled as her nose crinkled with happiness and her toes curled under the sheets. "What?"

"How are you able to say something so cheesy but make it sound so romantic at the same time?"

"It's a gift—a raw talent, actually."

"I'm sure." Catherine rubbed her nose against his. "You have no idea how glad I am to have you right here…in my arms…, and not a part of some fake universe where you are only a figment of my imagination."

"Catherine," Vincent leaned backwards and cupped her cheek. "I can't imagine what you went through…what tricks your mind played on you."

"It doesn't matter now, Vincent." Catherine shook her head, cupping his hand with hers to keep his touch from leaving her face. "_This_," she kissed his palm, "_Us_," she removed his hand and pressed it against her chest, "is what's most important, and I think," she placed her other hand against his heart while watching him mimic her stance by covering it with his own, "my experience inside of that coma can serve as an example for us, Vincent."

"How do you mean?"

"Well, by finding my way back to you, virtually _nothing_ can stand in our way, and if…something _does_ try to separate us, we always find our way back to each other." Catherine replied before bringing his hand up to her lips to kiss his knuckles.

"I don't know what I would have done if I had lost you, Catherine." Vincent leaned his head against her forehead and reveled in her scent.

"But you didn't lose me, Vincent," Catherine inhaled his hot breath as she cupped his face and gazed into his sorrow-filled yes. "…and you never will."

"How can you say that?" he immediately shot up and turned away from her, feeling his beast starting to emerge.

Catherine sat up, and placed her hand over his shoulder, not caring her chest was completely exposed. "What's wrong, Vincent?"

He didn't answer her.

"Vincent, please, talk to me." She pleaded, leaning her forehead against the back of his shoulder.

"If it wasn't for me, Catherine," he spoke very slowly, "you never would have been in that accident."

"If it wasn't for you, Vincent," Catherine countered, "I would already be dead." Vincent opened his mouth to say something, but couldn't think of a reply. "I was mentally and emotionally torn apart when I thought you weren't real, Vincent. My entire mind was filled with a darkness I never thought could exist. I have to believe that without you in my life," she tugged his chin towards her, forcing him to look at her, "I would be empty. I would still be looking for my mother's killers, and for all I know, I would have gone down a path of darkness where I wouldn't have been able to come back from."

"If not for me, you would never have learned about Muirfield."

"How do you know?" Catherine challenged. "I'll have you know, I'm a pretty damn good detective. I would have figured it out eventually if they didn't kill me first."

"But—,"

"No buts," Catherine pressed her finger against this lips to stop him from talking. "Wasn't it you, the other day, who said we were meant to be?"

"Yes, b—,"

"Then that's what matters, Vincent." Catherine cut him off. "_You _know that we are meant to be. _I _know that we are meant to be. So don't you _dare_ think that things would have been better off if we had stopped everything before the storm."

"That's just it, Catherine!" Vincent exclaimed as he pushed himself off of the bed, and turned to face her. "Ever since you and I started dating, there's been nothing but a whirlwind of storms ahead of us! Who is to say that the next oncoming storm won't be your last?" He pushed his bangs back and could feel the Beast resurfacing again.

"Vincent, calm down!" Catherine frowned as she stood up and clamped her hands over his face. "Just _listen _to me, okay?" His heavy breathing started to slow down, and his eyes began to return to their natural color. "Just breathe, and listen to my voice." She waited until he was calm enough to hear her out before explaining herself. "Okay, yes, I said 'storm,' because you're right, Vincent. Ever since we started dating, it has been one thing after another, and we cannot ever seem to catch a break. I'll admit that because we both know it's true. _However_, I am not a woman who just waits inside as the storm passes. I never was and never will be. I love it when it rains, and enjoy being surrounded by thunder and lightning. A storm is what makes life interesting because it always seems to stir things up. I've told you this before, and I'll tell you this over and over again for as long as I need to: I make my own decisions, and I've chosen you, Vincent. No one else, but you. If I wanted an ordinary life, I wouldn't be here right now. If I didn't want you in my life, I wouldn't have asked you to marry me. If _you_ wanted me to live an ordinary life, you never would have said yes. It's as simple as that. You understand, don't you?"

He nodded.

"And besides, we've beaten the odds before so who is to say we won't next time?" Catherine plants a kiss over his lips, and lightly smiles. "You want to know something?"

"What?"

She sat down on the bed, and he sat down next to her as she played with their entwined fingers. "I was so happy, Vincent, when you asked me to marry you."

"You said no, Catherine." he reminded her.

"I didn't," she smacked him in the arm, "I said, 'Someday.' _Anyway_, despite my initial answer, I was so thrilled when you had proposed because it meant that, for the first time, you had finally stopped hating yourself, and felt worthy and deserving of love. For as long as I had known you, you would always tell me how much you didn't deserve the love I have for you."

Vincent twisted his back in order to curl a strand of hair behind her ear before leaning her backwards and trapping her against the bed. "I do feel worthy Catherine."

"Then start acting like it," Catherine demanded. "Because right now, it feels like all of your insecurities have resurfaced and that you are starting to hate yourself again. When you hate yourself, Vincent, you're hating a part of me too."

"I could never hate you, Catherine."

"I'm just telling you how it is. Do you trust me when I say I _want _to be with you, forever and always?"

He nodded.

"Good. Let's keep it that way. Now I don't know if it was because of our break up that made you discover your self-worth or if it was something else, but whatever it was, I'm glad that it had happened."

Vincent leaned towards her and kissed her lips. "After great consideration, I think the moment I realized how much you really _did _love me and how much I really _did _need and deserved you in my life was when you shot me."

Catherine raised her eyebrow. "Okay…May-maybe not _that _glad."

Vincent chuckled. "Like I said, after giving it a lot of thought, I finally realized why you had put one in me. You were only protecting me from myself because you knew that if I had killed your father, I would never have been able to find my humanity again. That's when I realized how important it is to stay in touch with my human side. Even after everything that had happened to us, you were willing to be my friend—you trusted me. At that time, I realized that if I wasn't worthy enough to be your boyfriend, I at least felt worthy enough to be your friend. Through our friendship, you confided me even when you didn't confide in Gabe. Which, I must apologize for confirming to you that Gabe was a good guy. I was absolutely wrong about him, and cannot see what you saw in the guy in the first place."

Catherine laughed. "I can assure you I have no idea what I saw in him either. What was I thinking?"

"Good question, but let's not dwell over the past shall we?"

"Agreed." Catherine nodded before Vincent kissed her hard on the mouth. He pulled away from her and rubbed this thumb over her bottom lip. "What?"

"Nothing," he smiled. He kissed her once more, grateful for her little pep talk, and chuckled. "You know," he said as he pushed himself off of her, "No offence to JT or anything, but you are _so _much better at pep talks than he is."

"You better not tell him that," Catherine laughed. "Where're you going?"

"Bathroom. I'll be back in a minute."

"Okay." Catherine smiled, watching a very naked Vincent leave her bedside and walk into her bathroom. While she waited for her fiancé to return to her, she turned over to her stomach and closed her eyes. She often wondered what it would be like to be married to Vincent. She was even guilty of having such dreams while she was dating Gabe, but she would kill herself first before ever admitting it to Gabe or even Vincent. Not that Gabe has a right to know anymore. Not even Tess knows about her happy dreams of Vincent either. Eventually, she would tell Vincent about them, but she felt like it wasn't time to give him another notch on his belt. Not that she would mind, really.

She thought about a perfect, traditional wedding—Vincent wearing a black tuxedo with a red bowtie, and herself wearing an elegant, but simple wedding gown any bride would be jealous of. Then her mind would wonder about their first home together—since his death certificate was now erased, she could marry under his name, and he could own a home of his own without worrying about creating a fake name or living on the run. She never pictured herself as a wife or as a woman to settle down until she had started dating Vincent. With him, everything was so clear yet such a mystery. Their home would have a white picket fence—just like the home they had envisioned together on their first actual date. It wouldn't be a big home, but a small one to help them blend in if need be. They would have a small dog—perhaps a Chihuahua since Vincent once told her big dogs were out of the question. And…she pictured herself bearing her future husband three children, two boys and one girl. In her imagination, the boys looked like their father—strong European features with soft, brunette hair and brown eyes. Her daughter would share her Asian qualities, but have golden eyes like the Beast's. She would be a spunky girl with an attitude, and her sons would be gentle but protective like their father. Honestly? The life she envisioned was the perfect life—to her standards anyway.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, remembering she still had to finish telling Vincent about the Felisians and of her family's past. As an attempt to swing herself over and hop to her feet in order to remind Vincent about their 'To Be Continued' story, she only got halfway because the side of her foot smacked her fiancé in the face, causing him to stumble backwards. "I am so sorry!" Catherine jumped out of the bed and raced to Vincent. "Are you okay?"

"Yep. I'm fine." He nodded as he massaged his cheek with his fingers.

"Are you sure? I can go and get some ice!"

"Catherine, I'm fine." Vincent assured her as he removed his fingers from his face, and placed them on her shoulders. "I'm pretty tough, remember?"

"I'm sorry again. I don't know why that keeps happening." Catherine said as she remembered the last time she had kicked him in the face. "Are you sure you're all right."

"I'm fine." Vincent nodded. "I was just shocked, that's all."

"I'm sure." Catherine laughed. "I'm glad you're alright though. You sure you're alr—," Catherine paused when her stomach release a loud grumble.

"And I think that's my cue to go to the kitchen and whip up some breakfast." Vincent chuckled as he stood up and pulled his Beauty up with him. After giving her a quick kiss on the cheek, he grabbed his boxers, slipped them on and headed towards the kitchen. Catherine slid on Vincent's orange convict shirt and followed him out. Felisians would have to wait until _after_ she had food in her system.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

"So have you heard from Vincent recently?" Tess asked JT as she walked into the Gentlemen's Guild and placed her purse down on the bar.

"No. Why?"

"I'm just wondering how Cat is doing." Tess shrugged.

"I'm sure she's fine." JT smiled, "If Vincent hasn't called, it means he's still over at her place doing only God knows what with her."

"Surely they wouldn't…I mean, Cat—she's, she's still recovering." Tess raised her eyebrow as she sat down next to him. "If anything, Vincent's more concerned about her welfare than about her libido at this point. He wouldn't dare…would he?"

"Beats me." JT laughed. "When it comes to those two and their overly charged libidos for one another, I tend to keep my distance. As much as I miss V living over here, I'm kind of glad he also has his own place; I don't have to worry about wearing earplugs anymore."

Tess looked at him with a half-smile and her brow raised.

"What?"

"Were they…were they very _loud_?"

"Sometimes…it really depended on what mood they were in, you know? The last time they…you know…over here, it was shortly before Daddy Reynolds kidnapped Vincent. I don't know if it was Beast mating season or what, but not even one pair of earplugs were enough. I tried wearing earmuffs too, but even that wasn't helping."

"So what did you do?" Tess laughed, trying to imagine the situation herself.

"I drove to my office and slept on my couch. From then on, Vincent promised me it wouldn't happen again—not in the Guild at least—and certainly not while I was around." JT replied. "_Anyway_, any news about Gabe or the Sorry-My-Best-Friend-Kicked-Your-Face-judge?"

"Judge Gavin is still collecting evidence. Fortunately, the glass Vincent found taped to Catherine's hospital bed had traces of Gabe's DNA, but the judge does not want to come forth with it yet. He wants to keep a low profile, and collect as much collateral as he can before taking it to court."

"Wait…he's a judge…so why can't he wave his magic gavel around and send Gabe to jail?"

"Judge Gavin is biased in this case—he wouldn't be able to prosecute Gabe even if he wanted to. All he can do is present his material to another judge as a witness since judges are not allowed to practice law. He can have his own attorney, give him or her a list of witnesses such as Cat or Vincent and present anything he has collected against Gabe. I wish it was simpler than that, but because Gabe seems to be very good at covering his tracks, Judge Gavin wants to collect as much as he can before taking it to trial. Luckily, illegally sending Vincent to jail was enough to suspend him until further notice."

"And where is that backstabbing bastard now?"

"At home. Since he's on probation, he can't leave New York when he pleases."

"So he's on house arrest?"

"Not exactly," Tess shook her head. "He can go wherever he wants to in NYC, but he had to hand over all of his files to Judge Gavin to be reviewed."

"Then how do we know he doesn't have some secret stash somewhere—something that would get him for sure, but he's keeping it hidden in some dark dungeon?" JT stood up and threw his hands up into the air. "That man is a freakin' genius when it comes to covering things up. He's smart enough not to give the judge what he wants."

"That may be so, but if Judge Gavin has reason to believe Gabe is hiding something somewhere, he can issue a warrant and have the police search Gabe's place or any other place Gabe may have gone to in the past several years. For once, JT, I think it is best to let the law handle this one." Tess stood up and placed her hand on JT's shoulder. "Besides, by the time Gabe's trial does come around, Vincent and Catherine will be long gone from here. Remember? They plan on leaving New York City once Catherine heals."

JT sighed. "I guess you're right; there's no sense in worrying about Gabe for now. Though, I would feel better if I had some surveillance in his apartment."

"I'm sure you do," Tess laughed as she pulled him back down to the sofa. "However, we don't want to do anything that would jeopardize the investigation."

"I know, I know. I was just wishfully thinking." JT nodded as he wrapped his arm around Tess shoulders before releasing a heavy sigh. How long will it be until all of this mayhem is over?

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

Vincent and Catherine spent the entire morning _reacquainting_ themselves after breakfast, and finally decided it was best to get out of Catherine's apartment and go for a walk. They took the subway to Central Park, and slowly strolled the different walkways along the grass, enjoying each other's company.

"When we _do_ leave New York City, I hope there are parks like this wherever we end up." Catherine said as she leaned into her fiancé's side.

"Me too." Vincent replied before kissing the top of her head. "You know, Catherine, if you really like it here, we don't have to move. I was just suggesting it because I don't know what Gabe will try next. However, the decision is up to you."

"And risk you leaving me one night due to some issued manhunt? No thank you. We're moving, Vincent. Besides, I think it's time for a change of scenery—the mountains would be a great place to move to."

"I _do _like hiking." Vincent smirked. "Unfortunately, Denver is out of the question now. It would be the first place Gabe would look."

"How about somewhere in the Appalachians? I don't have any family living in West Virginia."

"It's a possibility," Vincent shrugged. "Anyway," he paused as they sat down on a bench to rest their legs, "you have me curious about those Felisians. What did your father say to you about them?"

"Other than the fact that they are basically primitive beasts who used to dominate Europe thousands of years ago?" Catherine raised her eyebrow.

"Yeah, other than that." He licked his lips.

"Okay…," she inhaled a deep breath and released a heavy sigh. "Well…Remember that gem?"

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

* * *

**WriterFreak001: **

Yes, I know, cliffy… I figured I wouldn't re-write everything Reynolds had said to Catherine. If you need to recap, feel free to go to Chapters 2 and 3 to review Reynolds's information. The next chapter will entail Vincent's response to all of this and what Gabe might be planning next.

Oh, and I have a new Tumblr Blog. My main blog is called WriterFreak001 (Tumblr), and my new one, which will be BATB FanFiction oriented, is called: Song as Old as Rhyme.

à tout à l'heure :)


	11. Chapter 11

**WriterFreak001: **

**Just to let you know, this fanfiction is winding down. I suspect, AT MAXIMUM, there will be 5 chapters (and maybe an epilogue) left. There are a few answers we need to figure out.**

**1.****How will Vincent react when he learns about Catherine's heritage?**

**2.****What will happen to Gabe?**

**3.****What's in store for VINCAT's future? **

**4.****Will VINCAT end up getting married? **

**Now…after re-watching a few of S2 episodes, I learned that the ****_real _****Rebecca Reynolds was alive 200 years ago. I had forgotten that fact so for this fanfiction only, she was alive during WWII. **

**JUNE SECOND IS ONLY DAYS AWAY! :)**

* * *

**Title** | Reality

**Fandom** | _Beauty and the Beast (CW)_

**Description** | Catherine learns some heavy duty information from her father, Agent Reynolds when she visits him in the cell regarding Vincent's recent arrest. One thing leads to another, eventually causing Catherine to wake up in a hospital while shouting Vincent Keller's name. Gradually, she is convinced that everything she has learned about beasts was all made-believe to help her cope with her mother's death. Will Catherine buy into the story the doctors are telling her? Or, will she see past their deception and find a way back to reality? If you want to find out, continue reading!

**Rating**| This fanfiction will be from now on be rated M for language, sexual themes and anything else M-rated I might throw in it. If anything, read at your own discretion.

**POV** | Third Person Omniscient

**Disclaimer** | While CW owns **_Beauty & the Beast_**, I am the owner of this Masterpiece.

**Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something should be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

**Reality**

**Chapter 11**

**Written by: WriterFreak001**

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

"Wait…, let me get this straight." Vincent pushed his hair back and leaned forward towards Catherine. He took her hands into his and stared into her eyes. "Your father told you that I'm basically the direct descendent of these Felisians due to some atavism, and Rebecca Reynolds is actually your great grandmother, who so happened to have given birth to a child with Beastly DNA, making both _you_ and your father predisposed to beast serums? Not only that, but the gem was made with your great great grandfather—Rebecca's father—to dis-empower beasts in case they ever tried to kill him? Am I missing something?" His eyes didn't blink.

"Other than the fact that Schizophrenia runs in my family, I think you've covered most of the major points." Catherine replied, still wondering how Vincent was processing all of this information.

Vincent licked his lips and frowned.

"Something wrong?" Catherine squeezed his hands.

"If Reynolds is actually telling the truth for once, then with you being predisposed, you're at risk of becoming a beast."

"And?" Catherine raised her eyebrow. "I know what you're thinking Vincent, and I want you to stop it right now. Just we because we…you know…, it doesn't mean my DNA is going to change. It would have already changed if having sex was some sort of risk."

"It's always a risk with me," Vincent commented.

Catherine cupped his face and smiled, "Yes, it is, Vincent. But it's a risk I'm willing to take with you. Besides, even _if_ having sex changed my DNA, I wouldn't complain."

"You don't want this kind of life," Vincent brought his hands up to hers.

"Vincent, I'm fine." She grinned. "Nothing has happened yet, so until something does, we're not going to worry about it. All right? Besides, if you're so worried I'll acquire beastly DNA through sex, then we can always use that gem as a precaution. Remember? It debeasts you."

"Debeasts?" he laughed. "I think JT is starting to rub off on you, Catherine Chandler."

She shrugged. "Possibly."

They leaned in for a short kiss, before Catherine pulled her face away. "Vincent, there's more."

"More to the story?"

"Not really…I mean, there's more to _our _story than to Rebecca's story." Catherine replied.

"I'm listening." He kissed her once more.

"My father told me that the reason you are sexually attracted to me is because of my predisposed blood; he says I'm some sort of walking pheromone to you. He said the same thing about Tori, but since her Beastly DNA was exposed, her power over you was stronger."

"I don't care what your father says, Catherine; trust me when I say this, I love you for you—not because you're some sex magnet."

"I know, Vincent."

"But that doesn't explain why I wasn't attracted to any other predisposed women." Vincent raised his eyebrow as he touched his chin.

"Maybe because my predisposition is stronger than other predisposed women?" Catherine shrugged. "I really don't know. Robert never really explained that part to me."

"Hmmm… I guess we have a little bit of investigating to on our own then. Perhaps it goes further than we think?"

"It's possible." Catherine pressed her lips together. "Anyway, I think there's something you need to know, Vincent. It's about our…connection."

"Go on."

"When my mom was creating the beast serums, she knew about Rebecca Reynolds being my great grandmother. I'm guessing Robert had told her when she found out she was pregnant with me—I don't know all of the details, but she did something to one of the serums."

"What did she do?"

"Well, since she knew it was only a matter of time before someone connected the dots and found out about my heritage, she wanted to make sure I had some sort of protector. That being said, she withdrew my blood and apparently used it as a foundation for one of the serums. She picked a soldier at random, and injected that serum into him. That's why we are tied together—why you can hear my heartbeat or sense my presence, Vincent." Catherine leaned her head against his shoulder. "My DNA is encoded into yours so, based on what my father said, you virtually have no choice but to protect me from danger."

"What are you saying? Our relationship—the love we share—was programmed into me?"

"No," she shook her head. "No, of course not. Apparently, your DNA forced you to protect me, Vincent. The intent was protection, not love. You are free to love whomever you want to, Vincent. The serum my mother gave you created an artificial beast out of you; your results improved more than anyone else because of your genetic markers. When my father took you away before wiping your memories, you underwent serious training. The training changed you; once your body was strong enough, you inherited your true Felisian form. At least, that's what my Dad said anyway."

"Kind of sucks that this Felisian Beast suit didn't come with cell regeneration." Vincent chuckled lightly. "I kind of miss that trick."

"Maybe," Catherine stared out at the water in front of her, "Maybe you'll develop more skills as you improve your beast."

"We both know what happened when I relied too much on my beast, Catherine. If using my beast costs my humanity, then I don't want to use it unless I have to."

"Vincent, embrace _both _your human side and your beast side. Don't just choose one or the other. Like it or not, the beast and your human side are what makes you, you. I don't prefer one over the other, and you shouldn't either. Rely on both; okay?" Catherine felt him kiss the top of her head and mutter an "I'll try." She closed her eyes, embracing the pleasant moment shared with her fiancé.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

**Two Weeks Later**

It had been a great afternoon for the Beauty and her Beast. They had sat down and worked on wedding plans for most of the morning. When they started talking about a potential honeymoon, if Vincent's name ever gets 100 percent cleared of Curt Windsor's murder, they ended up starting a pre-wedding honeymoon in the middle of Catherine's living room.

As they were about to go for another round of sexual bliss, Catherine's cell phone rang. She reached over Vincent and grabbed it from her pants' pocket. She recognized the number from Rikers. Robert.

"Answer it." Vincent whispered as he kissed her forehead.

"Are you sure?"

"He _is _your father, Catherine, whether you like it or not. Perhaps it's something important. He is allowed one phone call every once in a while."

"All right," She pressed the talk button and placed the phone against her ear, knowing Vincent would be able to hear the conversation regardless. "Chandler."

"_Catherine, we need to talk._"

"I told you I wasn't going to speak to you anymore, _Bob_. So whatever it is, I don't want to hear it." Catherine frowned.

"_Catherine, you walked out on our conversation before I could have a chance to tell you some vital information. I will admit to you, Catherine that I __**was **__trying to scare you with that Schizophrenia talk, all right? I was desperate and I needed to create a reason to scare you away from Vincent." _

"What makes you think I'll trust you after lying to me like that?!" Catherine was furious. She wanted to march up to Rikers and put a bullet in her father's stomach for manipulating her like that.

_"I know I caused you a lot of pain and distress, but I really need to talk to you about something; I may not have been the best father in the entire world, but I do care for you. If Vincent is there with you, bring him as well." _

"Why? So you can order a firing squad to kill him? I know what you're capable of, Dad. I'm not going to risk Vincent's life over something so stupid."

_"Catherine Chandler, don't you dare hang up on me! We need to talk; it's of life and death, and if you don't come to the prison right away and hear what I have to say, you may never get this chance again." _

"Is that a threat?"

_"No. A warning. Let's just say, I don't have that much time left before the supreme council sends someone after me. I don't have time to explain myself, but just trust me on this!" _

Without so much as a word, Catherine ended the call and looked at Vincent. "What do you think?"

"I think we owe it to ourselves to find out what he has to say, Catherine. You and I both may have every reason to hate him, but I could tell he was telling the truth. His heart was racing out of fear. We go in, grab the information we need and head out. That's all there is to it." Vincent wrapped his arm around her back and turned her over until he was pressing her against the bed and staring into her hazel eyes. "Perhaps there's more to the story—something he neglected to tell you last time."

"Vincent, he lied to me; he tried to convince me that I had Schizophrenia in my gamily gene pool; I'm not exactly in the right mind to listen to him right now." Catherine laced her fingers behind her fiancé's neck, and pulled him down for a kiss.

"We'll listen to him together, Catherine." Vincent pressed his belly against hers, causing her to close her eyes with pleasure plastered all over her face. "Remember, I can tell if he's lying; if he starts talking lies, we'll leave, okay?"

"Okay." Catherine nodded. After an hour or so of rolling in the sheets, the lovebirds cleaned up and got dressed before heading out to Rikers. Part of Catherine was curious to what her father might say, but the other part of her wanted nothing more to do with him. He deserves whatever he has coming.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

"You have ten minutes, starting now." Catherine spat as she and Vincent walked into Reynolds' containment area. Catherine took a seat, and Vincent stood behind her, gripping the chair and focusing on controlling his anger.

"I know you two are fed up with me, but I promise everything I say is the truth. From now on, I won't lie anymore." Reynolds said. When Catherine and Vincent didn't say anything in return, he continued. "When Vincent was arrested, my superiors were notified. One of my former employees visited this morning, informing me that the Supreme Council—my employers—are preparing to send someone my way to terminate me. It could happen any moment so no interruptions, please.

"I wasn't honest when I said I was ordered to eliminate beasts. In fact, as an FBI agent, I was the only one cleared to know what my mission was. All of my employees thought I was to destroy all beasts. However, that was not the case. I was told to eliminate all Muirfield beasts. That's why we had Li Zhao killed; he was the official creator of Muirfield experiments. We all know that his serums were faulty—terrible side effects. The Supreme Council has created a new serum—one that will not only create beasts, but make them lose their humanity as well. No connections equal a better soldier. As an underling of the Supreme Council, I did not have the power to stop them.

"The Supreme Council only knows Vincent Keller as a Muirfield experiment—they do not know about his Felisian genetics. I discovered that all on my own and decided to keep that knowledge for myself. When they heard Vincent Keller was still alive, they ordered their contact to pull together a statewide manhunt. My employee believes it will be in effect tomorrow. I realized that no matter what I have tried to do, you two kept coming back together. I don't like it, but there's nothing I can do at this point. I'm sure Vincent is up to speed about everything we have discussed the other day?"

Both Vincent and Catherine nodded.

"Good. Then after everything I tell you two, I am putting my daughter's life in your hands, Vincent Keller. You are bound to her in ways you can't even imagine; protect her with everything you have. Understand me?"

"You don't have to tell me twice." Vincent replied as he squeezed Catherine's shoulders. "I swear on my life I will protect her. My hatred for you pales in comparison to the love I have for your daughter."

Reynolds grimaced. "Very well. You have my blessing. I lied to you, Catherine, and I'm sorry. I shouldn't have told you that fib about Schizophrenia. When I discovered how much stress I placed on you—causing your accident—I realized I had gone too far. For that, I am terribly sorry. Rebecca Reynolds, however, was indeed your great grandmother. Her father did indeed help create those beasts-, but I never told you how the beast serum was created or who even acquired the materials to create it. Your great great grandfather was a renowned scientist—I've told you that before. _He _was the one who told Hitler about the Felisians. Jerome Reynolds had a collection of old journals dating back to the early eleventh century; the journals belonged to one of his great ancestors—Cynemær. Cynemær was an alchemist who described beasts in his writings. Essentially, he was the one who named Felisians, Felisians." Reynolds looked at Catherine, "He was the first in our family line to start searching for Beasts. At the time, he didn't wish to kill any of them; he only wanted to study them. These journals have been passed down from parent to child in our family for hundreds of years; no one knew about them until World War II when Jerome opened his big, fat mouth and told Hitler about the journals.

"Cynemær, as written in his entries, found a full-fledged Felisian. While most of the Felisians who were still alive before the Crusades were in hiding, one particular Felisian stood out; he wanted to make a name for himself. Hell, he even became a great King for all of his efforts. Much of what Cynemær has written in his journals coincides with what happens in the legendary story, Beowulf."

"Wait," Catherine rubbed her temples, "You're saying Beowulf was real?"

"After everything you've seen, are you surprised?" Reynolds countered.

Catherine kept quiet, and let her father continue. "I'm not saying Cynemær was the writer of Beowulf, but I wouldn't be surprised if he was. Cynemær served Hrothgar; he worked most of the time as a court physician, but during his free time, he focused on alchemy.

"After studying Beowulf's anatomy, he assumed there were others like him somewhere in the world. He used his knowledge to create a gem—much like Rebecca's gem. He wrote down all of the ingredients to make the gem, and made it. At Beowulf's request, he gave the gem to the king before his battle with the dragon so the warrior-king could have the strength to defeat the creature. You two know the tale; Beowulf died during the battle because the dragon was too great a feat. Cynemær took the gem back once the king was dead, and hid it somewhere. I have been all over Germany in search of those journals, but could not find them. Hitler must have confiscated them after Jerome had died. If the journals are found, that's one step closer to finding the gem. Rebecca's gem was a replica, made by Jerome based on Cynemær's journals. However, according to Jerome's own writings—which I have at my home—the gem he created had one substituted property embedded into it."

"What was that?" Catherine mused.

"Rebecca's blood."

"What?!" Vincent and Catherine both exclaimed.

"Look, I'm not a scientist; I don't understand how it worked or why it worked, but it may explain a few things. Tell me, Vincent, did you notice any changes the first time you touched that gem?"

"No. Nothing seemed to happen when I first had it in my hands the night I stole it from the Russians."

"How about after Catherine had touched it?"

Both Vincent and Catherine recalled the night the precinct was being held hostage for that gem. Tori had the gem on her for the first part of the night, but she lost it when one of the bastards had ripped it off of her neck. "I don't recall Catherine ever touching it," Vincent replied. "Not unless…it happened when Tori attacked her at the houseboat when we were waiting for those thugs." He turned to look at Catherine. "You remember, don't you? The night you arrested Tori?"

Catherine looked upwards as she tried to remember that night. "I guess I may have grazed it…I don't know really. I sort of blocked memories of Tori out of my mind for personal reasons." Vincent gulped at hearing this. He couldn't blame her for not wanting to remember those dark days.

"And then after that?" Reynolds raised his eyebrows. "Was the necklace working?"

"I would say so… the moment they ripped it off of Tori, she lost control. And then when Vincent recollected it, he also lost his beast abilities." Catherine said as she stood up. "But what does all of this mean?"

"I can't be one hundred percent sure, but Catherine, your blood is special; I don't know how your mother created a beast serum off of your blood, but she did. Your blood is the same blood that ran through Rebecca's veins; that being said, it shares some of the same properties the gem does. I am led to believe your blood is a key to creating an eventual cure. I think your mother realized it too, and decided to link your DNA to a beast—to Vincent—because if anyone trying to create beasts ever discovered the potentials your blood has, they would find you and kill you. I wouldn't be surprised how much the Supreme Council knows; they could be listening to us as we speak."

"Then why say anything at all?" Vincent asked, frowning as he folded his arms across his chest.

"Because you two need to know what you're dealing with. The more you know what I know, the better off you'll be." Reynolds answered Vincent.

"Then what makes _me_ so different from you?" Catherine asked. "After all, you have that same blood running through your veins too." Catherine stood up and gripped the bars of the cell.

"But _I'm _not anatomically linked to a beast like you are, Catherine. Not only did your mother give Vincent a serum with your DNA, but she also gave you a small dose as well—but with his beast DNA instead." Reynolds said, causing both Vincent and Catherine to look at each other.

"W-why would she do that?"

"It strengthens the bond between the two of you. In a way, the serum she injected into you Catherine created some sort of calling card, if you will. It wasn't enough Beast DNA to change your anatomy, but it was enough to help your body develop a stronger pheromone for Vincent. He is just as much encoded into your DNA as you are encoded into his, Catherine. Essentially, the blood bond you share mates you two for life."

"Woah, hold on," Vincent cut in. "I thought you told Catherine I had a choice of whom I could love."

"You do," Reynolds replied. "Just because you two have no choice but to cross paths over and over again, it doesn't mean you two would love one another. Consider it an added perk." He looked at Catherine, "Your mother was very detailed in her research—especially on Vincent's DNA. However, she kept her research of the blood bond separate from her Muirfield files in case anybody ever looked for them." He handed Catherine a folded piece of paper. "This will tell you everything you need to do once you leave here, Catherine. It will tell you where to find things or what to start looking for if you two ever want answers—or just want to gather all of the materials and hide them so no one can get to them. It's up to you what you do with all of this information. If anything, there is one thing you must know."

"What?" The couple said in unison.

"The more you two share a bed, the stronger your bond becomes. Vanessa considered intimacy as a possibility if you two were to ever meet in person, and she calculated that the moment intimacy was activated, there was no turning back. You two wouldn't have been able to separate your love bond even if you wanted to. And I know the two of you tried and failed. I hated the fact that Vanessa tied my only daughter to an abomination, and that's why I tried to convince Catherine to kill you, Vincent. No hard feelings."

"You're lucky you're behind bars." Vincent's eyes glowed.

"Like I said before, _Dad_, Vincent and I aren't going to let some destiny or whatever screw with us. Sure, we may have met due to this blood bond, but my feelings for Vincent are real. I fell in love with what makes him Vincent, not because I was programmed to do so." Catherine linked her fingers with Vincent's and leaned into him.

"Like I said, love wasn't a part of the package deal. Just proximity and protectiveness. The pull you two feel? It's all part of the gig—you are drawn to one another because you two are designed to protect each other. Vincent saves you from danger, and you are able to keep Vincent's humanity in check. Love just happens to be one of those benefits. Sex too. Though, sex certainly strengthens the bond. When you two started sleeping with other people, the bond weakened—I'm sure. Ever feel like the two of you were a bit out of sync during your separation?"

"What are you getting at?" Catherine raised her eyebrow. She didn't like where any of this information was going. It was too much.

"When you two started having sex with other people, Catherine—you couldn't make proper judgments—and Vincent, your senses were off. Am I correct?"

"Well," Catherine shrugged, "I _did _sleep with Gabe so I guess that would be a poor judgment." Vincent smirked at her remark.

"And when I was with Tori, things just didn't feel right. Sure, she amplified my power, but it felt off—out of place. I didn't even sense JT fast enough like Tori. That's how she got there before I could; my beast senses were out of whack. It was only when my feelings for you, Catherine, resurfaced when I felt like my normal beast senses were returning to their normal selves. I agree what JT said when he thought I should use both my human and beast abilities; a mixture is what feels right. Overloading on Beast is too much. I needed to find a balance, and when I did, it led me straight to you."

Catherine smiled as she looked at Vincent, and he returned the gaze.

"Ugh. You two make me sick." Reynolds coughed, interrupting the love birds. "Whatever is in your mother's notes combined with those journals is key to unlocking all secrets about Felisians and beasts. You need to recover Cynemær's gem too—and destroy it. Destroy those journals too—if you want to read them first after you've found them, go ahead, but destroy them or hide them or _something_ to keep them away from curious evils. Perhaps you two can find Cynemær's journals and the gem, but I would start with Vanessa's writings first. I've told you the cliff notes to everything I know. If you want more details, read the paper I gave you. It'll guide you to my resources. Perhaps you can figure out what I couldn't. Make sure you read pages 154 through 157 in your mother's research; it will be of some use I would think."

"Why don't you just tell us what's on the pages?" Vincent asked.

"There are ears everywhere," Reynolds looked over towards the guard standing in the far corner, "What I told you isn't particularly harmful."

"You told us Catherine's blood is valuable! How is that not harmful?! Especially if there are listening ears?" Vincent threw his hands up in the air, looking at Reynolds as if the old man was stupid.

"I told you that because from this moment forward, both of you are going to have to look over your shoulders, and be weary of unwanted visitors. Paranoia may be a bitch, but it usually keeps people alive. That being said, I want the two of you out of New York City by nightfall. The manhunt is real, Vincent," He looked towards his future son-in-law, "If you're still in the city by tomorrow, _they _will find you and Catherine, and they won't hesitate to terminate both of you. Don't contact anyone on your way out here. Go home, and go straight to the warehouse," he looked at them, telling them to go along with it. "Take whatever you need, and get the hell out of here. If you can, leave America."

"I can't leave," Vincent replied. "If I do, then I'll be perceived as guilty for killing Curt Windsor."

"If you don't leave, you'll die anyway!" Reynolds shouted. "If you two ever want to have a life together, you have to leave NOW! And don't look back! Now get out of here!"

"Wait?" Catherine looked at her father, "What's going to happen to you?"

"That's none of your concern! All I want for you, Catherine, is your safety. I don't care about my life—only yours. Now leave or all of this will be for not!" Reynolds grabbed his cell bars and continued to shout at them, telling them to leave.

Vincent grabbed Catherine's waist and walked her out of Rikers as quickly as he could. He wasn't going to take any more chances. If leaving NYC was going to keep both of them alive, then that's what they were going to do.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

When the couple drove away from Rikers, Catherine looked over the piece of paper her father had written to her. "What does it say?" Vincent asked while he focused on the road.

"It's a list of instructions," Catherine said before reading them out loud. "One, go home and gather everything you need. Two, don't contact _anybody_. Three, acquire burner phones, but keep your location to yourselves. Four, go to Vanessa's final resting place; her journals are hidden underneath a floorboard in the house next to her grave. Five, leave the state using stolen cars or busses. Six, change names. Seven, do whatever the hell you can to stay safe." Catherine folded up the paper and looked at her fiancé. "So, are we really doing this? Are we really leaving New York City?"

"You heard what your old man said, Catherine. There's going to be a manhunt for me—for us. We have no choice." Vincent replied as he sped down the road. "Don't worry about not being able to contact JT or Tess. JT and I have a system; if I ever needed to leave immediately at any time, there are things I do to give hints to JT so he knows what's going on. We have a code." Vincent noticed how frazzled Catherine was so he took her hand in his, and kissed her fingers as he kept his eyes on the street. "We'll be okay, all right? We'll figure this out."

"I can't lose you again, Vincent." Catherine closed her eyes to keep tears from falling down her face. "I made my decision long ago—if, for some reason, you had to leave, I was going to go with you at all costs. I don't care where we go or where we end up; as long as I'm with you, Vincent, that's all that matters."

"Good." Vincent squeezed her hand, "Because I'm not leaving New York without you."

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

Thirty minutes have passed since Vincent and Catherine left the prison, and Robert Reynolds sighed, wondering if it was the right thing to do to send his daughter and her fiancé away. He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. It was going to be a long night. He heard footsteps walking towards his cell, and he turned to look at his visitor.

"Did they take the bait?" the voice asked, standing in the dim moonlight.

"Yes. They did." Reynolds frown.

"How much of that bogus story was actually true?" his visitor stepped closer to him.

"All of it. Catherine and Vincent's heritage are true, and the blood bond they share are real as well. Well, except for the fact that the Supreme Council was after me." Reynolds answered nonchalantly.

"It doesn't matter how they bought it, but you're sure they will go through with it?"

"Yes. If anything, Vincent is willing to protect my daughter at any cost. He'll do what's necessary." Reynolds replied. "Now, how do I know I can trust you to come forward with your end of the deal?"

"My end of the deal?"

"I told you Catherine comes out unharmed in all of this. All I want is that beast dead, you hear me?" Reynolds grabbed his bars. "You keep my daughter safe no matter what."

The voice laughed. "Oh _that _deal. After what I've learned at the hospital, I don't think I can do that."

"What are you saying?" Reynolds's eye twitched.

"Oh, let's just say I paid Catherine's doctor a while back to give me everything they acquire of her medical condition. I even paid him two thousand to keep a certain bit of information quiet from his staff, Vincent and your daughter." The man laughed. "As it would turn out, your daughter is five weeks pregnant. I'm sure it won't take long for the father to sense his child's presence. Then again, after tomorrow, there won't be a father anymore. Nor will there be a fetus."

Robert felt like he was about to throw up. Sure, he hated the idea of his daughter being impregnated by a monster, but removing the fetus would destroy his daughter more so than if they had just killed Vincent altogether. "How do you plan on removing it?"

"Well, I figured a bullet to her lower abdomen would do the trick."

"Don't you dare hurt her, Lowan!" Robert spat. "If you want that fetus gone, fine! But wait until she's taken to a proper facility."

"You don't get to tell me what to do anymore, Reynolds. Remember, _I _was always in league with the Council, pretending to blend in and never hear of such a thing. I was merely sent to gather information about the beast and Catherine's relationship with him. Then I decided to test the waters—that's when I contacted you to take Vincent away from her. Thanks for the bullets, by the way. They stung like a bitch."

"I was only following orders from the Council. You're lucky Catherine was there to save you. Then again, maybe she shouldn't have." Reynolds smirked. "I liked you better dead."

"You know what?" Gabe sneered. "I have to say, I feel the same way about you." Before Reynolds could do anything, Gabe pulled out a gun with a silencer attached to it and fired three bullets at him, one hitting his chest, another in his stomach and the third in his neck. Gabe turned around and looked at the guard, "Take care of him. Let the Council know Reynolds has been terminated. Tell them not to worry, Vincent Keller will be dead soon enough.

**~Beauty & the Beast~**

* * *

**WriterFreak001: **

I bet you didn't see THAT coming! (In truth, neither did I! ^_^)

Will Catherine and Vincent fall for Gabe's trap?  
Is Reynolds really dead?  
Will Vincent figure out about Catherine's pregnancy and sense the trap before it happens?

So many questions to answer! Next update will be uploaded sometime during the weekend. Please read and review, let me know what you think!

**_ By the way, new blog! :) Song as Old as Rhyme _**

**(link: [(http)*(SLASH)*(SLASH)*(COLON)*song-as-old-as-rhyme-wf001*DOT*tumblr*DOT*com/])  
**


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